A new BMW Safety Car was unveiled today at the 2023 MotoGP season finale. The BMW XM Label Red Safety Car takes over from the BMW M3 Competition Safety Car of the 2022 season. Francesco Bagnaia, the winner of the 2023 BMW M Award, and BMW M CEO Franciscus Van Meel, presented the brand-new BMW XM Label Red Safety Car for the upcoming 2024 MotoGP™ season. This marks a significant development as the BMW XM Label Red is set to take center stage as the MotoGP™ Safety Car in the upcoming season, making history as the first high-performance car with an electric drive system to lead the field in the pinnacle of motorcycle racing.
First-Ever Electrified BMW Safety Car
The official unveiling of the BMW XM Label Red Safety Car took place at the Valencia season finale, where Dorna CEO Ezpeleta and BMW M CEO van Meel officiated the ceremony on Saturday. The new safety car is scheduled to make its debut at the opening round of the 2024 season in Qatar in March. Equipped with various safety features tailored for MotoGP™, the BMW XM Label Red includes additional flashing front lights, the safety car roof bar, a front splitter, Recaro seats, a six-point racing harness, and a fire extinguisher. When it hits the track for the first time in March 2024, the BMW XM Label Red MotoGP™ Safety Car will showcase the iconic BMW M livery.
Coming To MotoGP 2024
“BMW M GmbH enters its 26th season as ‘Official Car of MotoGP’ in 2024. The company has always tasked itself with employing its technical innovations to help ensure safety at the racetrack,” said Ezpeleta. “The BMW XM Label Red Safety Car is another genuine highlight in the fleet of high-performance automobiles in use in MotoGP. We are already looking forward to seeing it on the track in Qatar.”
“It is a logical step for the most powerful BMW M automobile we have ever rolled out to be the new figurehead of our safety car fleet in MotoGP,” said van Meel. “The first MotoGP Safety Car with an electric drive system is clear evidence of our striving for new, future-oriented technologies. In the BMW XM Label Red, a V8 engine and an e-motor integrated in the 8-speed M Steptronic gearbox generate a total output of 550 kW or 748 hp. This hugely powerful drive system, and outstanding driving dynamics in all situations, make the BMW XM Label Red the perfect basis for a MotoGP Safety Car.”
