The new MotoGP Safety Car develops 727 horsepower!

Long-time partner of the MotoGP, BMW renews the Safety Car that will officiate in front of the furious pack.

It’s a strange mission for a Safety Car in MotoGP or Formula 1. It must slow down the pack to allow for the safe intervention of track officials while still operating at full throttle. The issue is that nothing goes faster than the machines in their rearview mirrors. Even at 100% of its capabilities, a Safety Car lags compared to a Formula 1 car, putting drivers at risk. The Safety Car driver tries to extract the maximum from their machine, while the champions behind them experience a drop in tire and brake temperature and efficiency, which exposes them to the risk of accidents. A funny contradiction.

To try to overcome this problem, partners responsible for providing Safety Cars continuously raise the bar. In MotoGP, BMW has been fulfilling this role since 1999 and has just unveiled the one that will officiate starting from the 2024 season at the Grand Prix of Misano. It is based on the all new M5, which has undergone a revision regarding one aspect: the weight. In its standard form, the German powerhouse weighs around 2.5 tons!

Being fast in corners!

Devoid of any superfluous comfort elements, it saves several hundred kilograms. It will particularly rely on the demonic power of its twin-turbo V8 aided by an electric system. This hybrid design ensures up to 535 kW, or 727 horsepower! The transmission remains an 8-speed automatic with all-wheel drive, allowing it to violently exit corners and try to gain distance before straightaways.

On the outside, the treatment is very faithful to the production version, except that the graffiti livery is a nod to the one used in the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The connections to the ground are further stiffened, and the braking system is enhanced for the intense use it is promised.

Special features include a light bar on the roof, a front splitter, Recaro bucket seats, 6-point racing harnesses, a fire extinguisher, and a fuel suction pump for transport abroad.

In France, the BMW M5 is already available for order starting at 159,000 euros for the sedan and 162,000 euros for the station wagon. And thanks to the magic of hybridization, no environmental penalty to pay… nor a weight penalty due to an electric range exceeding 50 km. Isn’t life beautiful?

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