BFFs: BMW M and MotoGP celebrate 20 years of beautiful safety cars

BMW M

safety cars are to MotoGP what

Chevrolet

pace cars are to the Indianapolis 500. The 2018 season marked 20 years that

BMW

has transformed its performance vehicles into safety cars for the MotoGP racing circuit. The

BMW M5

with the Competition engine wrote the 2018 chapter in a history that shows the brand’s longstanding tradition on track.

Name a recent performance car in BMW’s lineup, and it’s probably been a safety car at one point or another. The

Z8

served in 2002. The

Z4

M served in 2007. The

1-Series M

captured hearts in 2011, the

M4

showed out in 2015, and the

M2

made its appearance in 2016. Even the SUVs and four-doors got some love, with the

X6 M

, the

X5 M

, and the

M6

making appearances.

As seen in the photos, these cars aren’t just rolling out of bed and moseying over to the race track. Each ride has several modifications that prepare it for safety duty. In addition to the top-mounted light bar and cool-as-hell paint scheme, the

M5

has several carbon fiber body parts, a prototype front splitter, and a titanium exhaust. Several of the cars added roll cages, as well.

Check out a bunch of the safety cars, past and present, in the quick-cut video from BMW up above.

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