BMW's M Division has unveiled the company's first-ever BMW M8 MotoGP Safety Car, with the fresh introduction making its first appearance at the MotoGP Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
The German automaker has been providing the official MotoGP with Safety Car Fleets for 20 years and the M8 has become the latest in a long and impressive line. This new Safety Car boasts an engine that sees it go up to 625 horsepower. And BMW M has added several Performance parts to make it ready for MotoGP duties.
Many of these parts are available as retrofit for the M8 production model. Racing-specific features and necessary safety equipment - such as LED lights on the roof and RECARO racing seats with Schroth seatbelts - have also been added.
“The BMW M8 and the BMW M8 GTE were developed in parallel, and these racing genes distinguish the BMW M8 models in all areas,” Markus Flasch, President of BMW M GmbH, revealed, via BMW BLOG.
"That’s why it was a logical step for us to choose the BMW M8 Competition as a basis for our new MotoGP safety car. Even in its production version, this high-performance automobile is suited to the racetrack. With its innovative technical features, it is yet another example of our quest to keep pushing the limit upwards. With the BMW M8 MotoGP Safety Car, we are really excited to present a new, powerful lead car for the top tier of motorcycle racing.”
Among the features are the BMW M Performance titanium sport exhaust system, BMW M Performance carbon tailpipe finisher, BMW M Performance floor mats, BMW M, Performance carbon engine cover, BMW M Performance carbon rear diffusor, BMW M Performance steering wheel Pro (with M Performance carbon cover and M Performance shift paddles), BMW M Performance carbon air breather side grill, BMW M Performance carbon side skirts, and BMW M Performance logo decals.