Photo: BMW
BMW M and Dorna Sports, the official MotoGP organiser, signed a new deal on Saturday, extending their cooperation until 2020. With this new agreement, BMW will continue to provide the safety cars for the coming years from the M pool.
The current deal between the two companies still had two years to run, being set to expire in 2016, but they decoded to extend their collaboration already over the course of the next 6 years.
BMW has been providing M safety cars for the MotoGP championship since 1999 and the partnership between the two entities will mark its 20th anniversary in 2019, as the new contract extends to 2020.
Of course, as a marketing scheme this fits right into the plans of BMW but there’s more to this joint venture than meets the eye at first, as the Bavarians also have and had bikes running in the competition.
Every year, the Munich-based manufacturer provides a fleet of vehicles that serve as Safety Cars. This year, for example, there are 5 M and M Performance cars offered, spearheaded by the M4 Safety Car we’ve been seeing so much of lately.
The manufacturer went even further and since 2003 has been offering their own prize for the best MotoGP qualifier at the end of each season. Dubbed ‘the BMW M Award’, it’s also rather consistent, last year a BMW M6 Gran Coupe being offered.
“We are delighted with this contract extension and are grateful to our partner Dorna Sports for the trust they have shown in us. Since 1999, it has been of great importance to us to help guarantee the safety of the world’s top motorcyclists through the use of our cars and the latest technology,” said Dr. Friedrich Nitschke, CEO of BMW M GmbH.
“At the same time, MotoGP is also the perfect platform, on which to further raise the global awareness of BMW M GmbH and our products. Extending the contract through to 2020 means that this partnership will now run for over two decades. A partnership of this length is a rarity, and we are proud of our close and successful cooperation with Dorna Sports,” he added.
BMW has been providing M safety cars for the MotoGP championship since 1999 and the partnership between the two entities will mark its 20th anniversary in 2019, as the new contract extends to 2020.
Of course, as a marketing scheme this fits right into the plans of BMW but there’s more to this joint venture than meets the eye at first, as the Bavarians also have and had bikes running in the competition.
Every year, the Munich-based manufacturer provides a fleet of vehicles that serve as Safety Cars. This year, for example, there are 5 M and M Performance cars offered, spearheaded by the M4 Safety Car we’ve been seeing so much of lately.
The manufacturer went even further and since 2003 has been offering their own prize for the best MotoGP qualifier at the end of each season. Dubbed ‘the BMW M Award’, it’s also rather consistent, last year a BMW M6 Gran Coupe being offered.
“We are delighted with this contract extension and are grateful to our partner Dorna Sports for the trust they have shown in us. Since 1999, it has been of great importance to us to help guarantee the safety of the world’s top motorcyclists through the use of our cars and the latest technology,” said Dr. Friedrich Nitschke, CEO of BMW M GmbH.
“At the same time, MotoGP is also the perfect platform, on which to further raise the global awareness of BMW M GmbH and our products. Extending the contract through to 2020 means that this partnership will now run for over two decades. A partnership of this length is a rarity, and we are proud of our close and successful cooperation with Dorna Sports,” he added.
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