What happens when you sponsor an event – you usually make the most of it for your own brand, right?! BMW has had a long association with the world of MotoGP and in 2020 decided to finally take full sponsorship of an entire grand prix.
The BMW M MotoGP Grand Prix of Styria took riding enthusiasts by storm this weekend and even car aficionados had many reasons to also join the party. Among them, the fact that Austria’s Red Bull Ring circuit of Spielberg featured not only the M3 and M4 GT3, but also the brand-new M8 Gran Coupe Safety Car.
The surprise appearance materialized on Sunday after just two days prior we got the chance to spend some time with the still camouflaged M4 and M4 GT3 high-performance coupes. We do know one regular person that will get an advance screening of the 2021 M4 ahead of its September introduction: Miguel Oliveira.
He was the crowned victor for the event and according to established tradition BMW has decided the laurels should also be accompanied by high-performance BMW M car – the yet unreleased M4. If you cannot wait to see the real deal next month, BMW was courteous enough to release another teaser video (embedded below) of the new road warrior sharing the track with its competition counterpart, the M4 GT3.
It is a good thing actually that BMW also presented a new Safety Car over the weekend – the MotoGP grand prix also had a red flag event, with Monster Energy Yamaha rider Maverick Viñales having to spectacularly ditch his bike at more than 200 kph (124+ mph) because he lost the brakes – you can see all the scary action in the second video at the bottom of the page.
As far as the new BMW M8 Gran Coupe Safety Car is concerned, the Bavarian automaker changed the stock Competition version with an innovative livery in M colors that includes an asymmetric design and a new matt-black area covered in an anti-reflective coating that should help the driver focus even better.
The 625 hp V8 is also getting some help from the BMW M Performance division, which thoroughly sifted through the M Performance parts catalogue. Now, there is a plethora of them adorning the badass four-door coupe, from a carbon engine cover to rear spoiler and diffuser as well as a carbon-infused teering wheel and handmade components such as the front carbon flaps and splitter.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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