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Source: https://www.motor1.com/news/561563/taycan-formula-e-safety-car/ Formula E’s eighth season kicks off next week, and it’ll look a tad different when it does. The all-electric racing series will add a new safety car to the lineup – the all-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S. The car will debut at the double-header contest in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. “With the Taycan Turbo S as the official safety car, we’re making an important contribution to track safety and also underlining the importance of Formula E for Porsche Motorsport,” said Thomas Laudenbach, vice president of Porsche Motorsport. Porsche modified the electric sedan with all the necessary safety car kit to make it race legal – roll cage, fire extinguisher, bucket racing seats, and six-point harnesses. The car also received flashing lights integrated into the bumpers, wiring harnesses for the safety car lighting, and a Marelli Logger System. Inside, other noticeable changes include the row of switches on the center console and the enticing red button on the steering wheel. The Turbo S should have no trouble keeping up with the race cars on the track. The Taycan produces 750 horsepower (560 kilowatts), allowing it to hit 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) in 2.8 seconds with launch control. It has a top speed of 161 mph (260 kph), which is just 12 mph (20 kph) less than the Gen 2 Formula E race cars. The new Taycan Turbo S safety car also wears a unique livery that’s more than an attractive design. All 11 teams are represented in the paintwork, including the FIA and Formula E. The Porsche Taycan joins BMW in supplying the series with safety cars. BMW offered the i8 Coupe and Roadster, followed by a modified Mini. The three will be at various Formula E races around the world, including London, New York City, Seoul, Mexico City, and more, for the upcoming season.

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.

BMW has some considerable racing prowess to crow about, and draws on those credentials to create models like the new M4. But it's not about to rest on the laurels it's won at the end of innumerable races past and present. Mere months after the release of its latest performance coupe, BMW has already revealed a new M4 touring car for the DTM series, and has now unveiled its new M4 safety car for the MotoGP motorcycle championship. Revealed on the BMW M Facebook page and set to debut at the front of the grid at the season opener in Qatar a couple weeks from now, the new M4 safety car is just the latest in a long string of official vehicles it has provided to the MotoGP series. Previous examples have included everything from the 1M Coupe to the M6 and the X6 M. Like its predecessors, the M4 safety car features emergency lighting, special equipment and of course BMW's trademark white livery with red, navy and light blue stripes that, in this arrangement, give the new Williams Martini Racing livery a run for its money. Logos promote the BMW M Performance Parts you can buy to bring your own Bimmer up to spec, which on this car isn't likely have changed much from stock.

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) has announced that the completely redesigned 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander crossover will be the 'Official Safety Vehicle' for this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) to be held on June 30th. With advanced safety features including Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM), the seven seater 2014 Outlander will represent Mitsubishi in serving as the Official Safety Vehicle for this annual event. In addition to its safety technology, the Outlander is available with the company's Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) all-wheel drive system that provides superior stability, traction and control - perfect for negotiating not only the numeral twists and turns of the Pikes Peak course but also the instantaneously changing harsh weather and road conditions along this high elevation route. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution will also join the Outlander as a supplemental safety vehicle. These vehicles were built specifically for the race with support coming from a number of firms including BBS USA, Cobb Tuning, Kenwood USA Corporation, and Muellerized Suspension Tuning. In Mitsubishi Motors' debut in last year's running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, its innovative i-MiEV Evolution all-electric prototype racing car scored an impressive second place finish in the Electric Vehicle Division in 2013. For the 91st hill climb, Mitsubishi Motors returns with an all new, more powerful electric powered prototype racing car dubbed the MiEV Evolution II in a two-car assault, in the very capable hands of two-time Dakar Rally winner Hiroshi Masuoka and six-time Pikes Peak overall motorcycle champion and 2002 SCORE International off-road series champion Greg Tracy. Held in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the challenging Pikes Peak International Hill Climb features a unique road course that is 20km in length with 156 corners, commencing at an elevation of 9,390 feet and finishing at 14,110 feet. First run in 1916, this annual event is the second oldest motor race in America after the Indianapolis 500. Mitsubishi Motors will also serve as the Presenting Sponsor at the 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

[extract] A new Lexus GS 350F Sport will now be a permanent safety car at the Sydney Motorsport Park. "There have been many changes here at Sydney Motorsport Park in the last year and we are pleased that Lexus has decided to maintain its long-standing relationship with us," said Glenn Matthews, CEO of Sydney Motorsport Park.