BMW M6 Course Car for Australian F1 GP

Text & Photo courtesy BMW Group AG

Setting the Course Alight

The
super lightweight BMW M6 Coupé hits the track running as the official
Course Car for the supporting races at the 2006 FORMULA 1 ™ Foster's
Australian Grand Prix.

The
scintillating M6, with its 373 kW V10 engine and seven-speed Sequential
Manual Gearbox will get pulses racing with its bold power, distinctive
styling and bellowing engine note, as it chases around the 5.3 km
Albert Park circuit.

The
Course Car’s primary function is to lap the track between each
supporting race to ensure there is no debris or obstruction on the
circuit.

The
M6 Coupé was the perfect choice – eye-catching and fast enough to lap
the track in record time so there’s minimal delay between events.

Not
for the faint-hearted, the 5.0-litre, 40-valve V10 engine sprints the
M6 from rest to 100 km/h in a blindingly fast 4.6 seconds. It has an
electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.

The
BMW M6 is a comprehensively re-engineered version of the successful 6
Series Coupé, previously seen as the Course Car in 2004 and 2005.

With
its Motorsport-developed engine, transmission, differential, brakes and
suspension package, the M6 provides an even more race car-like driving
experience for the Albert Park officials.

The
M6 is not only fast and furious; it is also extremely luxurious and
striking. Its 19-inch alloy wheels, aggressive front spoiler, side
skirts and rear apron packed with quad exhaust pipes, ensure the
muscular message is not missed.

It
is equipped with the latest BMW technology including the three-stage
Electronic Damper Control, and M Power mode. This allows drivers to
select from two power outputs – the full 373 kW or a more general-use
294 kW, simply by pressing a button next to the SMG selector.

Available
in extremely limited number, the ultra-fast, ultra-exclusive BMW M6
Coupé will undoubtedly be one of the key BMW attractions of the 2006
FORMULA 1 ™ Foster’s Australian Grand Prix weekend.

As
the official supplier of course cars, a selection of delectable
high-performance BMW vehicles will be in use including the V10-powered
M5 Sedan, V8 powered 550i Sedan and several 7 Series limousines.

BMW
also has 26 well-known faces from sport and media competing in the
annual BMW Celebrity Challenge, driving the latest BMW 120i five-door
sports compact. In addition, the famed Brazilian Senna family name
returns to motorsport, when Bruno Senna (nephew of the late Ayrton
Senna, takes the wheel of a BMW M3 for the M3 Track Attack.

Of
course, all eyes will be on the new BMW Sauber F1 team when drivers
Jacques Villeneuve and Nick Heidfeld take to the grid for the 58-lap
main event on Sunday afternoon.

In all a fabulous spectacle of BMW dynamism is guaranteed to keep motorsports fans’ eyes glued to the track or TV screen.