BMW M will start its 15th season as “Official Car of MotoGP” this weekend in Qatar, with the M6 Gran Coupe to spearhead the fleet of MotoGP safety cars. BMW provides the official safety cars in MotoGP since 1999.
The MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix will be the first public outing of the BMW M6 Gran Coupe, following its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in January. The standard car is powered by a V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology that generates 560 horsepower. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.2 seconds.
BMW says the safety car version of the M6 Gran Coupe has been specially modified for its use as a pace car out on the racetrack, but doesn’t offer additional details. BMW’s fleet of official MotoGP cars for the 2013 season includes five BMW M and M Performance models.
Besides the M6 Gran Coupe, the M6 Coupe and the M5 will also be in action as safety cars, while the safety officer will take to the track in an M3 Coupe. BMW also offers two M550d xDrive Tourings as medical cars, with BMW Motorrad to provide two new HP4s as safety bikes.
Like in previous years, BMW will award an M car to the rider with the best overall qualifying record at the end of the season. The BMW M Award has been presented since 2003, with the most recent winners being Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo and Nicky Hayden. To mark the tenth anniversary of the award, BMW will present the best qualifier this season with a special M car, which will be announced in May.
By Dan Mihalascu
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