Photo: BMW
This past weekend marked the end of the racing season in two of the world's most celebrated series: Formula 1 and MotoGP. Whereas drivers had their last outing on the track of the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, motorcycle riders flocked to the scene on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.
It's been known for a while now that the champion of the 2023 Formula 1 season is Red Bull's Max Verstappen, but in MotoGP, the fight was slightly more fierce. In the end, Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia prevailed, bringing never-before-achieved accomplishments for the Borgo Panigale bike maker.
Keep an eye out on autoevolution as we'll discuss what those accomplishments are in a separate story. This one, however, is not about Formula 1 and Verstappen, not about MotoGP and Bagnaia. This one is about a BMW called XM Label Red that was just presented over the weekend as the official safety car for the motorcycle competition's 2024 season.
Label Red is described by BMW as "the top-of-the-range variant of the first BMW M high-performance car with an electric drive system." The rest of us also know it as the most powerful BMW M car ever.
How powerful? Well, the combination of a M TwinPower Turbo combustion engine controlled by an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission and a synchronous electric motor with a pre-gearing stage integrated into the transmission amounts to a total of 738 horsepower (577 from the V8 and 194 from the electric motor).
These numbers and the hardware attached to them translate in an acceleration time from a standstill to 62 mph in 3.8 seconds, and an electronically limited top speed of 175 mph (282 kph). More than enough to make the SUV able to keep up with the blistering fast motorcycles of the MotoGP competition.
For the task at hand the Bimmer was taken one step further in terms of appointments compared to its production sibling. Befitting any vehicle taking on such a role, the SUV now sports flashing lights at the front, a new front splitter, and a special roof bar on top. Inside, new Recaro seats were installed, along with a six-point racing harness, and a fire extinguisher.
The Label Red will first take to the track in its new capacity in March in Qatar, where the season-opener of the 2024 MotoGP season will take place. It will do that wearing the typical BMW M livery, marking the start of the 26th season of the competition supported by BMW safety cars.
The moment will also mark the first time "that a high-performance car with an electric drive system will lead the field in the pinnacle of motorcycle racing," another sign of how fast this world of ours is changing.
It's worth noting that during the weekend in Valencia the exact kind of BMW XM Label Red, minus the safety car features, was presented as a gift to Francesco Bagnaia.
Keep an eye out on autoevolution as we'll discuss what those accomplishments are in a separate story. This one, however, is not about Formula 1 and Verstappen, not about MotoGP and Bagnaia. This one is about a BMW called XM Label Red that was just presented over the weekend as the official safety car for the motorcycle competition's 2024 season.
Label Red is described by BMW as "the top-of-the-range variant of the first BMW M high-performance car with an electric drive system." The rest of us also know it as the most powerful BMW M car ever.
How powerful? Well, the combination of a M TwinPower Turbo combustion engine controlled by an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission and a synchronous electric motor with a pre-gearing stage integrated into the transmission amounts to a total of 738 horsepower (577 from the V8 and 194 from the electric motor).
These numbers and the hardware attached to them translate in an acceleration time from a standstill to 62 mph in 3.8 seconds, and an electronically limited top speed of 175 mph (282 kph). More than enough to make the SUV able to keep up with the blistering fast motorcycles of the MotoGP competition.
For the task at hand the Bimmer was taken one step further in terms of appointments compared to its production sibling. Befitting any vehicle taking on such a role, the SUV now sports flashing lights at the front, a new front splitter, and a special roof bar on top. Inside, new Recaro seats were installed, along with a six-point racing harness, and a fire extinguisher.
The Label Red will first take to the track in its new capacity in March in Qatar, where the season-opener of the 2024 MotoGP season will take place. It will do that wearing the typical BMW M livery, marking the start of the 26th season of the competition supported by BMW safety cars.
The moment will also mark the first time "that a high-performance car with an electric drive system will lead the field in the pinnacle of motorcycle racing," another sign of how fast this world of ours is changing.
It's worth noting that during the weekend in Valencia the exact kind of BMW XM Label Red, minus the safety car features, was presented as a gift to Francesco Bagnaia.
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