Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia entered MotoGP history this weekend by being crowned champion of the premier class, returning the title to Ducati after 15 years. Not only that: he was also the fastest in qualifying, which also earned him the BMW M Award. This season, the award has been a BMW M3 Competition Touring.
The Italian driver has been the fastest in practice, achieving 293 points in total, to which the five pole position what he has achieved His closest rival, Jorge Martín, has fallen to 11 points.
The award is special in the history of BMW, because it is the first time that the company offers an M variant based on the familiar bodywork of the 3 Series, which means adding to its sporting qualities a 500-liter trunk that can reach up to 1,510.
The only configuration with which it is available combines a 3.0 biturbo engine with 510 hp and 650 Nm with the eight-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive. speed up from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.6 secondsIt reaches 200 km/h in 12.9 seconds and has a top speed of 250 km/h.
The award for 2023
In the presentation of this award, BMW and Dorna, the society that organizes the Motorcycle World Championship, have changed a tradition. Until now, the main car of the BMW M Award of the season was announced in the spring of the same course, but this time they have already made it public.
Thus, next year, the fastest driver in the classifications will receive as a prize a BMW M2, the latest model presented in the M Performance family.
The M2 has released its second generation with a clear “more and better” at the mechanical level. It now mounts a 3.0 TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder in-line engine that develops 460 hp of power and 550 Nm of maximum torque.
Always rear-wheel drive, it can use a six-speed manual gearbox, with which it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds. With an eight-speed automatic, it lowers the time of the sprint at 3.9 seconds. Its top speed is limited to 250 km/h.