The BMW M8 Competition is MotoGP's 616bhp safety car

BMW has been supplying safety cars to MotoGP for 20 years now, and its latest is this M8 Competition. It debuted at the weekend’s race in Austria – where Andrea Dovizioso recorded a vital win to keep in touch with Marc Marquez in the rider standings – thus starting its role in the job partway through a season.

It’s perhaps fitting that MotoGP has employed M Division’s most powerful car yet to work on a grid of 200mph bikes, with the 616bhp M8 Comp capable of 0-62mph in 3.2secs and a 186mph top speed.

While the standard car comes with a wealth of tech, including Drift Mode-equipped four-wheel drive and almost all the electronics under the sun, BMW has understandably given it a small makeover for circuit duty.

There’s a carbon-tipped titanium exhaust system to ensure the M8 sounds nearly as good as the bikes around it. A roll cage, fire extinguisher and race-spec Recaro seats. Cup tyres and motorsport-spec bonnet catches. A ginormous wing nicked from the BMW M8 GTE racecar. And last but certainly not least, lots of MotoGP stickers and a whopping great light bar on the roof. Safety’s never looked so aggressive.

The M8 replaces a 592bhp BMW M5 on MotoGP marshalling duties, while Formula E now uses a fairly unique BMW i8 Speedster. Yep, BMW really knows how to do safety cars.