20 years: BMW M starts anniversary season as “Official Car of MotoGP™”.

  • BMW and BMW M have been partners of MotoGP organisers Dorna Sports
    since 1999.
  • New BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car heads the 2018 fleet of safety cars.
  • A total of seven BMW M high-performance cars taking care of safety.

 

Munich. A special MotoGP season gets underway for BMW
M GmbH at the “Losail International Circuit” in Qatar this weekend
(16th to 18th March): it is BMW M’s
20th season as “Official Car of MotoGP”. BMW and BMW M GmbH
have been involved as partners of MotoGP organiser Dorna Sports since
1999. Activities are focussed on providing the safety car fleet. In
the 2018 anniversary season, the fleet will be headed by the new BMW
M5 MotoGP Safety Car. BMW M GmbH will provide a total of seven BMW M
high-performance cars this year to ensure the safety of the race events.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dorna Sports for the
faith they have shown in us for what is now two decades. Rarely do you
come across such a long and successful partnership in sport, and we
are proud of this special anniversary,” said Frank van Meel, President
of BMW M GmbH. “When we partnered with MotoGP organiser Dorna Sports
in 1999, our aspiration was to use all our expertise, innovative
technology from motorsport and new ideas to serve safety in the
MotoGP. That remains the case today. 20 years down the road, Dorna
Sports still has a strong partner on board, in BMW M GmbH, for whom
the safety of the riders takes top priority.”

The fleet of safety and official cars has always consisted of the
latest BMW M models, optimised for use on the racetrack. Celebrating
the 20th anniversary, BMW M GmbH remains true with this
philosophy and sets a real highlight with the new BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car.

The new course car is based on the high-performance sedan BMW M5
(combined consumption: 10.5 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions:
241 g/km)*, which was showcased to the global public for the first
time in August 2017. The BMW M5’s technical features ensure perfect
handling, even at the limits of driving dynamics. These features
include the newly-developed M-specific all-wheel drive M xDrive, which
is being used in the BMW M5 for the first time. The 4.4-litre V8
engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology represents another
significant increase in performance compared to previous models, with
441 kW/600 HP and maximum torque of 750 Nm in the production M5.
Painstaking manual work at the BMW M Manufaktur in Garching converted
the high-performance base car into the BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car,
preparing it to appear as the course car in MotoGP.

In the 2018 season, the fleet of official MotoGP vehicles includes a
total of seven different BMW M high-performance cars. Alongside the
new BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car the BMW M3 Safety Car will also be in
action. BMW M GmbH will provide the Safety Officer and the Race
Director with a BMW M4 Coupé Safety Car with water injection and a BMW
M2 Safety Car. In addition, the BMW X5 M Medical Car will take to the
track this season and a BMW M6 Gran Coupé Safety Car also stands ready
to be in action. Two BMW S 1000 RR, which BMW Motorrad provides as
safety bikes, complete the 2018 safety car fleet.

Among the many other activities that make up BMW M GmbH’s commitment
to MotoGP is the BMW M Award, which will be presented for the
16th time in 2018. This award is presented at the end of
each MotoGP season to the rider with the best overall result in qualifying.

The winner receives an exclusive BMW M car. The BMW M MotoGP
Experience sees guests of BMW M GmbH experience an unforgettable race
weekend. They are given an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes by BMW
M MotoGP experts Loris Capirossi and Alex Hofmann. Furthermore, BMW M
GmbH presents its latest models and products with on-site campaigns on
selected Grand Prix weekends.

 

You can find more information on BMW M GmbH and the “Official Car of
MotoGP” involvement in the comprehensive media guide attached and
online at:

www.bmw-m.com

* Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures are
provisional, based on the EU test cycle and may vary depending on the
tyre format specified.

*The fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures shown were determined
according to the European Regulation (EC) 715/2007 in the version
applicable at the time of type approval. The figures refer to a
vehicle with basic configuration in Germany and the range shown
considers the different size of the selected wheels and tires.

 

The CO2 efficiency specifications are determined according to
Directive 1999/94/EC and the Pkw-EnVKV, and based (for classification)
on the fuel consumption and CO2 values as per the NEDC cycle.

 

Further information on official fuel consumption figures and specific
CO2 emission values of new passenger cars is included in the following
guideline: “Leitfaden über Kraftstoffverbrauch, die CO2-Emissionen und
den Stromverbrauch neuer Personenkraftwagen” (Guideline for fuel
consumption, CO2 emissions and electric power consumption of new
passenger cars), which can be obtained free of charge from all
dealerships and at https://www.dat.de/en/offers/publications/guideline-for-fuel-consumption.html.