BMW M3 Touring up for grabs in MotoGP’s BMW M Award

Eagle-eyed fans of MotoGP and the BMW M tuning brand were in for a treat watching last weekend’s British GP event. As the sport resumes after a five-week mid-season summer break, it also received a brand new official safety car in the form of the BMW M3 Touring.

The new safety car’s induction came as part of both the BMW M division’s on-going half-century celebrations this year, as well as the 20th anniversary of BMW Group’s partnership with the premier motorcycle racing championship.

Based on the BMW M3 Competition Touring with xDrive, the new safety car that MotoGP fielded over the weekend has undergone similar treatment as seen in past BMW M-supplied safety cars. These include a special livery, customary array of emergency lighting, a myriad of optional M carbon fibre bits, as well as Recaro race seats, race harnesses plus a roll cage.

BMW M didn’t specify any performance data, but it’s assumed that the BMW M3 Touring MotoGP Safety Car doesn’t differ from the stock M3 Touring’s 503 hp and 650 Nm output figures from its 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six heart. Paired with an 8-speed automatic and all-wheel-drive, 0-100 kmh takes just 3.6 seconds with BMW M claiming a top speed of 280 kmh for the M3 Touring in stock form.

Apart from the new safety car’s on-track debut, BMW M also seized the opportunity in presenting a special one-off M3 Competition Touring as this year’s prize in MotoGP’s long-running BMW M Awards. Now in its 20th year, the challenge awards the fastest qualifier of the season, with last year’s edition captured by reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo of the Monster Energy Yamaha Team.

The one-off M3 Competition Touring up for grabs this year comes dressed in a tasty hue of Frozen Black, whilst its interior get furnished with electrically adjustable M sports seats wrapped in Merino/Black leather. It also gets laced with the M Competition brake system for superior on-the-limit handling, according to BMW M.

At the time of writing, this year’s M Award front-runner is Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia of the Ducati Lenovo Team. The Italian, who’s also part of the famed VR46 Riders Academy, leads the standings with 177 points – just 4 points clear of reigning world champion Quartararo in second.