#motogp

BMW has introducing an M4 featuring new engine technology.

BMW has been providing the official safety cars for MotoGP for the past 13 years, and this year it has decided to update mid-season with the new M6 Coupe, replacing its 1 Series M Coupe safety car.

BMW used this past weekend’s Indianapolis MotoGP to unveil its new F10 M5 safety car. The BMW was fitted with an Akrapovic titanium exhaust system that sounds amazing. Other goodies that set this  safety vehicle aside from all other standard M5’s include high performance coilovers, new front and rear spoilers, Recaro bucket seats and 20-inch rims.

The M5 has been entirely redesigned but the biggest change is the switch from a high-revving V10 to a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8. The new engine will crank out 552 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque mated to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The car is capable of achieving a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds, not bad for a car weighs around 4,000 lbs. Pricing has not been announced but the M5 will probably sell for around $85,000.

Check out the video after the jump!

The closest most of us will ever get to piloting a true DTM race car would be in Gran Turismo 5, and even then the results aren’t always pretty. Those that have unlocked some of the rare collectible race cars in any Gran Turismo knows what it’s like to try to control it for the first time.

Naturally when we heard that MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden strapped himself behind the wheel of a Mercedes DTM race car, we were curious to see what would happen. Obviously we weren’t the only ones, as he had no problems letting the cameras roll.

Hayden, also knock as The Kentucky Kid, won the MotoGP World Championship in 2006 and there’s no doubting his prowess on all things two-wheeled. Tack on another two wheels, a whole lot of horsepower, a wet track and cold tires and the results are pretty similar to what we experience the first time we try to pilot a supercar in Gran Turismo. We can’t laugh at Hayden though, as he’s the one that was fortunate enough to get behind the wheel of Mercedes’ DTM race car while we’re still waiting for the loading screen to finish on our PS3.

Check out the video after the break.

[Source: Jalopnik]

The proposed Formula 1 race track in Austin, Texas will officially be known as the Circuit of the Americas, and feature a variety of facilities beyond the 3.4 mile race track, including a full-time trauma center, and venues for commercial, educational and social events that will all be open year-round.

Next time you watch a MotoGP race, be sure to note that BMW is always out in front of Mercedes. Sure neither automaker competes in the F1 of motorcycle racing, but while Mercedes’ AMG division sponsors the Ducati team, BMW is providing the pace car.

To help celebrate World Ducati Week, Mercedes will debut a new ‘Naked’ limited edition SLK200 Kompressor model during the festivities, which start June 20th in Rimini, Italy. The reason for Mercedes’ involvement is due to the close connection between the Mercedes AMG division and financing and insurance firm Gruppo Generali – which also just so happens to be a sponsor of Ducati in MotoGP.