German luxury automobile manufacturer BMW has unveiled the M5 MotoGP Safety Car. The new safety car will debut at the MotoGP season finale in Valencia, Spain (10th to 12th November) and will speerhead the Safety Car fleet in the 2018 season.
The BMW M division has converted the high-performance base car into the BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car, preparing it to appear as the course car in the world’s fastest motorcycle racing series. This process included the addition of numerous BMW M Performance Parts, many of which are available as retrofit parts for the BMW M5 production model. These include various carbon components such as side sills, rear diffusor, rear spoiler, front kidney grille, door mirror caps and air breather slats. The BMW M Performance sport exhaust system is made of titanium, with carbon exhaust tips.
Feature wise, the BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car is equipped with the M-specific all-wheel drive M xDrive, which is being used in the BMW M5 for the first time. The transformation of the BMW M5 to a MotoGP Safety Car was completed by the inclusion of special racing features and the necessary safety equipment. The front splitter is a prototype developed specifically for the BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car. The bonnet latches are taken directly from racing while the bucket seats have been borrowed from the BMW M4 GTS. The flat light bar on the roof uses LED technology and is controlled via a specially-developed cockpit panel. Another important signalling system is provided by the flashing front lights, consisting of blue LED lamps in the front grills and flashing corona rings for the headlamps.
At the heart of the BMW M5 is the 4.4-litre V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology. This engine is capable of producing 600 HP and 750 Nm of torque. The M5 takes just 3.4 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph. Transmission is taken care of by a new eight-speed M Steptronic gearbox with Drivelogic. The chassis contains M-specific kinematics and elastokinematics elements that contribute to optimized driving dynamics. The weight also plays an important role in performance. This has been reduced further through features such as the lightweight carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) roof.
