617 HP BMW M8 Competiton Is MotoGP’s New Safety Car

Just after the launch of the M8 and M8 Competition, BMW has been unveiled the latter as the new Safety Car for the ongoing MotoGP season.

BMW has a long history supplying the official MotoGP Safety Car, with its latest addition celebrating its public outing during the the Red Bull Ring race in Austria over the weekend.

Like the street car, the M8 Competition MotoGP Safety Car is powered by a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 pumping out 617 HP. This engine is mated to an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic which sends power to all four wheels via an advanced xDrive all-wheel drive system.

Also Read: BMW Celebrates 20 Years Of Its MotoGP Safety Cars

BMW says that its MotoGP Safety Car has undergone intensive testing at its test track near Miramas in southern France, a winter testing center in Arjeplog, Sweden, and (no surprise there…) the Nurburgring. In addition, the automaker has used the experience it collected from the M8 GTE racer in perfecting the car’s performance characteristics.

The German car manufacturer has also fitted a plethora of M Performance Parts, some of which are available for the street-legal production car and others that were designed exclusively for the Safety Car. These include a towering rear wing from the M8 GTE, new front splitter, titanium sport exhaust system, carbon fiber rear diffuser, carbon side skirts, roll cage, fire extinguisher, floating hub cups, a MotoGP livery, and a host of distinctive interior components.

“The BMW M8 and the BMW M8 GTE were developed in parallel, and these racing genes distinguish the BMW M8 models in all areas,” BMW M president Markus Flasch said. “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.”