German Car Scene

VALENTINO ROSSI SAMPLES THE BMW M3 GTS, AWARDED M3 SALOON

Posted 20th November, 2009 in BMW | Leave a comment

A great show at the BMW M Award on the occasion of the MotoGP in Valencia: at the season final of the motorcycle road world championship, Valentino Rossi was once again the best qualifier of the MotoGP and the recipient of the BMW M Award. The prize has been part of BMW M’s involvement in MotoGP since 2003. First of all, the fastest MotoGP rider is of the season test is rewarded with a BMW automobile, then at the end of the season the fastest rider of all qualifying sessions can look forward to a BMW M.

The 2009 season finale was a top event for BMW M in one other respect, too: it offered the perfect setting for the premiere of the brand new BMW M3 GTS.

Of course, the new MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi didn’t miss out on the opportunity to do a few laps in the BMW M3 GTS. Let’s put it this way: it could well be the start of a wonderful friendship.

Shortly before the start of the race, Dr. Kay Segler, President of BMW M GmbH, did a demo lap on the Spanish race track. At least 300 million TV spectators saw the first official ride of the about 450 bhp BMW M3 GTS. The racing-style coupé was presented to an enthusiastic audience on site on large screens. Carmelo Ezpeleta – CEO of DORNA Sports, responsible for the marketing of the MotoGP – visibly enjoyed having the opportunity to cover the first official kilometres in the BMW M3 GTS on a race track, sitting on the passenger seat.

Before the high-speed motorcycle acrobats fight it out every racing Sunday, other BMW M models also put in a major appearance: the fleet of safety cars, consisting of BMW and BMW M models. BMW has been the exclusive provider of safety and shuttle vehicles for the MotoGP since 1999. Traditionally, the most powerful cars from the BMW stable perform the function of safety car. Since April 2009 this has been the BMW X6 M, which escorts the MotoGP field into the warm-up lap. The most powerful serial production model ever developed by BMW M, it can also provide fast medical first aid for motorcyclists in case of an emergency.

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has already won five BMW models with the MotoGP BMW M Award. In 2009 it is a BMW M3 saloon – the reward for the rider who achieves the qualifying times at 17 races of the 2009 MotoGP season. The key was handed over by Thomas Schemera, BMW M GmbH Head of Sales and Marketing. For Schmera, handing over the vehicle to Rossi is almost like a meeting of good friends. The only rider to be more successful in the BMW M Award to date was the Australian Casey Stoner, which prompted the talented Rossi to make the witty comment that this meant he still had a goal for next year.

With his fleet of cars acquired through the BMW M Award, Valentino Rossi is a certified expert on BMW M. So it hardly came as a surprise when the nine-times MotoGP world champion expressed an urgent wish after covering the first few kilometres of the home journey at the wheel of the BMW M3 GTS: he wants to add to his private fleet an individually manufactured BMW M3 GTS made at the BMW production workshop.

So it looks like a perfect match. But of course when the BMW motor racing genes of the BMW M3 GTS come up against a once-in-a-century racing talent like Valentino Rossi, that’s almost inevitable.

[Source: BMW]