2020 BMW X4 M Competition Is This Year’s Prize For MotoGP’s Best Qualifier

BMW has announced the BMW M Award winner’s car for the 2019 MotoGP season and, for the first time ever, it’s an SUV.

Mind you, it’s not your average sports utility vehicle but a 2020 X4 M Competition. The high-performance SUV packs the most powerful straight-six gasoline engine ever fitted to a BMW M vehicle, a 3.0-liter twin-turbo unit delivering 510 PS (503 hp) and 600 Nm (442 lb-ft) of torque.

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Mated to an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic and the new M xDrive AWD system, the 2020 BMW X4 M Competition is capable of sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.1 seconds and hitting a top speed of up to 174 mph (280 km/h).

The prize vehicle features a Toronto Red Metallic paintwork, Merino Adelaide Grey full leather upholstery, as well as other goodies including M Sport Seats, the M Competition Package and the M Sport Exhaust System. An exclusive special feature of the BMW M Award winner’s car is the Carbon Exterior Package, which will be launched later this year.

As always the prize will be awarded to the fastest qualifier in the 2019 MotoGP season — i.e., the rider who will get the highest rankings in qualifying at the end of the season. The BMW X4 M Competition will be the 17th vehicle awarded by the automaker to top MotoGP performers. Interestingly, it will be the first time that the prize is an SUV.

“For the 2019 season, we chose our new BMW X4 M Competition. It combines athleticism, performance, passion, and adrenalin – attributes that it shares with the MotoGP and the performances with which its riders wow crowds at the racetrack,” said Vladimir Bistrivoda, Head of MotoGP Collaboration at BMW M GmbH.

The current record holder is Marc Márquez, who has already claimed the BMW M Award six times in a row. Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner each have three wins, Jorge Lorenzo has two, while Sete Gibernau and the late Nicky Hayden have one BMW M Award each.