The official safety car for the 2011 season of motorcycle road racing is going to be the BMW 1-Series M Coupe. The event also known as MotoGP was scheduled to be held last weekend. The Safety Car is one of its kind and the main production car from which this one has been built has the engine of a twin turbocharged straight six cylinder delivering 340 HP. The other original taken from the production model is the drive train. The production model is due for launch in end April.
The Bavarian car makers have also effected a number of weight saving or reduction measures like use of carbon fibre reinforced bonnet. The bonnet also has large air vents in addition to the existing one in the production model. The side and rear windows are of polycarbonate material and the rear seats have been eliminated. The exhaust system is a custom made one of light weight titanium which along with weight saving feature has a unique sound generation feature too.
There is also an additional splitter integrated on the underside of the front apron, an adjustable rear wing that provides the added down force which is not featured in the production model. The Safety Car also has white LED flashlights incorporated in the front grille, and blacked out 19 inch alloy wheels shod in 255/35 tires at the front and 285/30 at the rear.
The rear seats that have been removed in the case of the Safety Car have been replaced with a B-pillar and a safety rollover cage has been bolted to this pillar. The front is made up of an M steering wheel done up in alcantara and has two bucket seats and a six point safety belt each. There is also a fire extinguisher which has been installed in the Safety Car.
The 1 Series M Coupe also has a revamped suspension system that comes with an adjustable race track which also has a sports tuned chassis in which the dampers are independently adjustable for bump and rebound. The braking system of the production model has been replaced with a six piston fixed caliper racing brake system.
Not only the 1-Series M Coupe Safety Car that BMW would be putting into use at the 2011 MotoGP, there would be other cars like the X6M and an M3, a 535i Touring serving as the Medical Car, an X5 M for the Safety Officer and an Active Hybrid X6 for the stewards, that BMW would put into action. BMW would also be placing on action their BMW S 1000 RR and a HP2 Sport Safety Bikes during the 2011 MotoGP event.
Source: carscoop
