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At this weekend's opening MotoGP race in Qatar, BMW will be introducing their newest on track safety car, this time based on the soon to be launched 1 Series M Coupe. BMW's involvement in MotoGP now enters its 13th year, unfortunately not as an official on track competitor as most bike racing fans would like to see, instead as the series official vehicle supplier. BMW will continue to provide the official Safety Car along with a raft of other high-performance vehicles for use by Dorna Sports and IRTA officials.
BMW's Safety Car is a one-off built by the M Division specifically for MotoGP, only the 340 hp straight-six M Twin Turbo engine and drivetrain were taken over unchanged from the regular production model.
The new safety car comes with a carbon fibre-reinforced bonnet featuring additional large air vents, as well as polycarbonate side and rear windows with weight saving the primary concern. A special lightweight titanium race exhaust system is fitted with the bonus of a sweeter sounding exhaust note many spectators may enjoy.
As well as the spoiler lip on the boot lid there is also an adjustable rear wing for added downforce. Also of note, the aerodynamically designed front apron with its clearly defined air ducting, including Air Curtains, features an additional splitter integrated on the underside of the apron.
The interior of the BMW Safety Car naturally includes a rollover cage bolted behind the B-pillar, the absence of rear seats, two racing bucket seats with 6-point safety belts, an M steering wheel and onboard fire extinguisher.
The suspension of the 1 Series M Coupe was specially adapted for the Safety Car. Its suspension system includes an adjustable race track set-up that includes a sports-tuned chassis in which the dampers are independently adjustable for bump and rebound. The safety car runs on 19-inch mixed tyres measuring 255/35 at the front and 285/30 at the rear.
Ride height is variably selectable and the camber of the front and rear axle can be altered to suit each circuit. The braking system of the 1 Series M Coupe is replaced with a six-piston fixed-calliper racing brake system.
BMW supplies the series with a fleet of eight vehicles. As well as the new 1 Series M Coupe Safety Car, this year sees two further reserve safety cars available for use at the track, an X6 M and M3. An X5 M will be provided for the Safety Officer and an ActiveHybrid X6 for the stewards.
On call this season as a Medical Car will be a 535i Touring. BMW will also supply two "safety bikes," an S1000 RR and HP2 Sport. The official handover of this mouthwatering fleet took place at BMW's M division in February. At this event, it was also announced BMW and Dorna Sports would extend their partnership until 2016.
by James Foreman
