New MotoGP safety car... is a BMW M6!

Even the fastest bikes in the world are unlikely to run away from this safety car.

Even the fastest bikes in the world are unlikely to run away from this safety car.

Published May 21, 2012

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At every motorcycle Grand Prix a safety car with a doctor and a senior marshal aboard follows the field around the circuit for that ultra-dangerous first lap and then stands by throughout the race to provide immediate response in case of a serious crash.

For a number of years now BMW has been providing safety cars for MotoGP, notable among them specially equipped 1 Series M coupés and X6M crossovers, but even the fastest bikes in the world are unlikely to run away from this latest one, first seen at the Nurburgring 24 Hour endurance race at the weekend.

It's an M6 coupé in traditional arctic white, with BMW's signature stripes in red and two shades of blue; special equipment includes an extended front splitter, a distinctive gloss black grille, a Tijuana Taxi light bar and a seriously boy-racerish rear wing.

STICKY RUBBER NEEDED

BMW hasn't said anything about performance modifications but, given that an M6 coupé comes with a 412kW/680Nm, twin-turbo, 4.4-litre V8 and a seven-speed M double-clutch transmission as standard and is good for 0-110kmh in 4.2 seconds, it probably doesn't need any, beyond a set of sticky rubber and remapping the engine management to disable the 250km/h speed limiter.

When US carmakers are asked to provide pace cars for Nascar racing, a few replicas (minus the light bar, of course) are usually made available - at eye-watering prices - to race fans who want to make a statement.

Here's hoping the Blue Propeller Guys will see fit to do the same with this very righteous M6 special.

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