BMW has announced that the new XM Label Red, which is one of its least track-focused vehicles but also the most powerful car, would serve as the official safety car for the 2024 MotoGP season. Additionally, they gave the reigning MotoGP World Champion, Francesco Bagnaia, the keys to another XM Label Red. He is essentially the "Pole King" of MotoGP, having secured seven pole positions and eight starts from the front row in the 2023 season.
BMW has been the "Official Car of the MotoGP" for 25 years, and for 21 of those years, the quickest qualifier in the championship has received a brand-new BMW. In addition to winning the prize last year, Bagnaia is the latest in a long list of BMW M Award winners, including Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, and Marc Marquez.
Over the weekend, Bagnaia added, "Winning the BMW M Award for the first time last year was fantastic." "I instantly set out to recreate the accomplishment this season after realising it back then. I am therefore overjoyed to have completed it. This year, despite appearances, it was everything but a walk in the park. Every qualifying round was fiercely contested.
Shortly after revealing the new whip to the two-time MotoGP World Champion, BMW unveiled the exclusive XM Label Red, which will serve as the official safety vehicle for the next season. The safety car is painted matte grey with red highlights, while Bagnaia's automobile is painted matte black with red accents.
The M division has also installed six-point racing harnesses, a roof bar, a new front splitter, Recaro seats, and the standard flashing front lights. Its 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine still produces 748 horsepower and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque when coupled with an electric motor since its drivetrain has not been altered. It takes the place of the BMW M2 safety vehicle that was used during the 2023 Moto GP Bharat.
At the unveiling, Franciscus van Meel, the head of BMW M, stated, "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." "Our pursuit of innovative, forward-thinking technology is evident in the development of the first MotoGP Safety Car equipped with an electric motor system. A V8 engine and an e-motor built inside the 8-speed M Steptronic transmission combine to produce 550 kW, or 748 horsepower, in the BMW XM Label Red. 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.”
