BMW M and MotoGP Celebrate 20 years of Teamwork for Safety Cars

BMW M cars and Moto GP celebrated 20 years of collaboration with regard to safety cars for the MotoGP races. The collaboration would cross 20 years with the 2018 season. The BMW M performance vehicles undergo considerable modification to be used as safety cars for the MotoGP racing circuit. In the case of the 2018 edition of the MotoGP races, it was the BMW M5 with the Competition engine that was used as the safety car for the races.

Every recent performance car in the BMW range has been used as a safety car at one point or the other. The Z8 was used in 2002, while the Z4 M served as the safety car in 2007. The 1-Series M proved to be a crowdpuller in 2011, while the M4 was the car of choice in 2015. The M2 appeared on the MotoGP circuit in 2016. Even SUVs and four-door vehicles like the X6 M, the X5 M, and the M6 were used as safety vehicles.

Each vehicle needed a high level of customization with several modifications so that it could be used as a safety vehicle. Some of the modifications included top-mounted light bars and unique paint schemes. The M5 has several carbon fiber body parts, a prototype front splitter, and a titanium exhaust. Many of the cars used had roll cages as well.