Since 1999, BMW, as the official car brand of MotoGP, has given away a high-performance example to the fastest rider during the entire season's qualifying. And on this occasion, the poleman of the premier motorcycling category who has taken home a brand new car from the prestigious Bavarian firm has been Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia, the Ducati rider who was crowned last weekend – for second time - MotoGP world champion at the Valencian Community Grand Prix.
The Italian, who has consistently achieved the best results during the qualifying rounds, already knew at the Thai Grand Prix - with three rounds left in the competition - that he had won the BMW M Award. This is the second he has received, since last year he also won it. Every year the four-wheeled trophy is different. Thus, while in 2022 they gave him the M3 Touring sports family, this time they have given him the impressive XM Label Red SUV, whose price in Spain starts at around 200,000 euros.
To win this precious automobile award, Bagnaia has added 369 points, 93 more than his closest rival Jorge Martín. Throughout this season, the youngster has achieved seven pole positions and has started from the front row of the grid another eight times.
The XM Label Red is a high-performance plug-in hybrid large SUV that develops a power of 550 kW (748 HP) and offers an impressive 1,000 Nm of torque. Equipped with all-wheel drive, this version can accelerate to 100 km/h from a standstill in just 3.8 seconds; Without a doubt, it is a spectacular figure, especially if we take into account that we are dealing with a huge car more than five meters long and almost 2,800 kilos in weight.
As it is a hybrid model, it can travel in 100% electric mode. According to the data offered by the brand, its unpolluted autonomy reaches 81 kilometers, which is why it is distinguished with the 0 Emissions label from the DGT. This is a clear example of why the OCU complains that the criteria for granting environmental stickers is unfair and does not correspond to reality. And we are faced with a vehicle equipped with a combustion engine that delivers almost 750 HP without guarantees that the battery is always charged and that it travels most of its daily journeys in electric mode.
For Pecco, winning the BMW M Award for the first time last year was fantastic. “At that moment, I immediately set the goal of repeating the feat this season,” Bagnaia said. “Although it may seem like this year has been a walk, it has not been. All the classifications have been very close. That's why I'm proud to have won again," admitted the winner of the award, who has already said that he will do everything possible to win it again in 2024. With his second BMW M Award, the Italian joins the list of drivers They have achieved it on several occasions, with Marc Márquez being the one who has taken the most copies to his garage.
It should be noted that, next season, the XM Label Red will serve as the MotoGP Safety Car. It will be the first high-performance car with an electric propulsion system to lead the grid in the premier class. For its track outings, a series of modifications have been made to the vehicle, such as the installation of additional flashing front lights, the safety car roof bar, a front splitter, Recaro seats, a six-point racing harness and a fire extinguisher.
