MOTOGP'S NEW SAFETY CAR COMES FROM THE HOUSE OF M IN THE FORM OF THE NEW BMW M5.
BMW M has been the official supplier of high-performance safety cars to MotoGP™ for years, and now they’ve just raised the bar once again. Enter the BMW M5 MotoGP™ Safety Car, a hybrid beast set to debut this weekend. Unveiled at a special customer event in Milan’s House of BMW, the M5 Safety Car marks the latest chapter in BMW M’s MotoGP journey. Sylvia Neubauer, Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales at BMW M GmbH, alongside Massimiliano Di Silvestre, CEO of BMW Italia, pulled the covers off this striking machine, which is set to hit the track at Misano for the Grand Prix. “In our 26th season as the ‘Official Car of MotoGP,’ we're proud to continue our partnership with Dorna Sports,” Neubauer said at the event. “With the BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car, we’re once again bringing cutting-edge tech and performance to the racetrack, keeping the world’s top motorcycle racers safe.” The M5 Safety Car is based on BMW’s newly launched M5, which made waves at the Goodwood Festival of Speed back in July. It’s got a bit more muscle, though. The hybrid setup under the hood combines a high-revving V8 with M TwinPower Turbo tech and an electric motor, pushing out a colossal 535 kW. Power gets delivered through an 8-speed M Steptronic gearbox and BMW’s M xDrive all-wheel drive, ensuring this safety car is as quick on its feet as any MotoGP bike it's leading. With M Performance tech sprinkled throughout, it’s all about peak dynamics—on and off the track. Visually, the BMW M5 is a stunner on its own, with a wide, athletic stance thanks to its bulging arches, deep side skirts, and aggressive front end. But the MotoGP Safety Car version takes things even further.
It’s wrapped in a graffiti-style livery inspired by BMW M Hybrid V8 race cars—the same machines tearing it up in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA series. Neubauer explained, “The design links the M Hybrid V8 to the M5, highlighting our hybrid philosophy: born on the track, made for the road.” BMW M GmbH didn’t stop there, though. The M5 Safety Car is packed with M Performance Parts, including carbon front attachments, carbon side skirts, an aramid rear diffuser, carbon-titanium tailpipe trims, and a carbon fuel filler cap. On the functional side, it’s been fully prepped for racetrack duties with a roof bar, a front splitter, Recaro seats, 6-point racing harnesses, a fire extinguisher, and a fuel suction pump for overseas transport. This safety car isn’t just a pretty face—it’s fully equipped to handle the heat. MotoGP got to see the M5 Safety Car in action for the first time on Saturday, September 7th, at the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini at Misano. Among the crowd in Milan for the big reveal was none other than Valentino Rossi, the nine-time MotoGP world champion. After switching to car racing, Rossi’s been tearing it up as a BMW M works driver in the M4 GT3, proving that BMW M’s motorsport pedigree transcends both two and four wheels. For more details on BMW M’s long-standing partnership with MotoGP™ and the new BMW M5, head over to www.bmw-m.com.
Take a look at the YouTube video from a few years ago that shows off a bunch of previous BMW M cars used as pace and safety cars in the hugely popular MotoGP series. There's no video content on the current one above just yet, but this is still awesome to see: 20 Years of BMW M MotoGP™ Safety Cars. | BMW M
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