“Official Car of MotoGP™”, BMW M starts the 2016 season with the new BMW M2 MotoGP Safety Car
Spearheaded by the new BMW M2 MotoGP Safety Car, the official BMW M fleet made its first appearance of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship last weekend. This year marks BMW M’s 18th season as “Official Car of MotoGP”. BMW’s successful partnership with MotoGP organiser Dorna Sports dates back to 1999. Since then, the fleet of M models and M Performance models has helped to ensure that race events run safely. The commitment of BMW M Division also features numerous other activities, including the presentation of the coveted BMW M Award. The 2016 MotoGP season kicked off at the weekend with the Qatar Grand Prix at the “Losail International Circuit” in Doha.
This year’s new highlight from BMW M Division is the BMW M2 MotoGP Safety Car. The new lead car is based on the BMW M2 Coupé (combined fuel consumption with M DTC: 7.9 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 185 g/km), which enjoyed a high-profile world debut in Detroit in January. In the BMW M factory in Garching, the production car was modified, optimised and prepared by hand for its new role in MotoGP. As well as exclusive tailor-made solutions and mandatory safety features, the engineers at BMW M Division also equipped the Safety Car with extensive BMW M Performance Parts. This not only gives the car an eye-catching appearance, but also plays a practical role in the areas of aerodynamics, cooling and lightweight design. Many of the M Performance Parts, including the lowered thread chassis and exhaust with flap system, are also available as retrofit components for the BMW M2 Coupé.
With its distinct racing genes, the BMW M2 Coupé provided the ideal basis for a MotoGP Safety Car. The new inline six-cylinder engine with innovative M TwinPower Turbo technology and three-litre capacity guarantees an extremely sporty performance. With a maximum output of 272 kW/370 hp and a maximum torque of 7,000 min-1, the extremely rev-happy powertrain really makes its mark out on the track. The intelligent, lightweight concept, low point of gravity and small, unsprung weight are further trump cards, which help ensure the maximum agility and dynamics of the high-performance coupé.
In the 2016 season, the fleet of official MotoGP vehicles includes a total of six different BMW M and BMW M Performance models. Alongside the new BMW M2 MotoGP Safety Car, the BMW M4 Coupé with water injection and the BMW M3 will also be in action as safety cars. The BMW X5 M and the BMW M550d xDrive Touring will be on track this season as medical cars. BMW M Division will provide the safety officer with a BMW M5. All vehicles were further optimised for their special use in the motorcycle world championship in the BMW M factory. Two BMW S 1000 RRs, which BMW Motorrad provides as safety bikes, complete the 2016 safety vehicle fleet.
