Every year since 2003, a single talented MotoGP->ke2192 competitor has been presented with the BMW M Award, an annual honor bestowed upon the rider with the best qualifying results for the season. In addition to bragging rights, the award includes an exclusive, customized M car, making for quite the accolade. This year’s four-wheeled trophy was unveiled at the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuito de Jerez in Jerez de la Frontera, and comes in the form of a brand new BMW M6->ke208 Convertible decked out in Frozen Blue Metallic paint and practically dripping with high-end extras.

“The BMW M Award is one of the highlights of every MotoGP season – every rider wants to be the one to receive this outstanding prize at the end of the year,” said Pau Serracanta, Managing Director of the Commercial department at Dorna Sports. “The unveiling of the winner’s car here in Jerez has become an important tradition for us. The entire MotoGP family is very excited about it, and BMW M Division has surprised us again this year with a truly breath-taking car.”

2015 will mark the 13th presentation of the award. The recipient is determined via a points system not unlike that used in the championship, with 25 points awarded for pole, 20 points awarded for second place, 16 points for third, and so forth, all the way to one point for 15th. The winner is determined at the end of the season.

Notable past recipients include Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner, both of whom have earned the BMW M Award three times. Marc Marquez has two awards to his name, taking the honor as the youngest ever winner in 2013 and following it up with another win in 2014. Jorge Lorenzo also has two BMW M Awards, while Sete Bibernau and Nicky Hayden both have won it once.

Continue reading to learn more about the BMW M6 Convertible.

Why it matters

MotoGP riders hardly need additional incentive to qualify well, but it’s still cool to see BMW->ke178 get its cars out in front of the two-wheeled crowd. After all, the German brand already has a strong presence in the motorcycle world, with 2015 being BMW’s 17th season as the “Official Car of MotoGP.” The Bavarians also employ an M4 Coupe outfitted with water injection as the MotoGP pace car, while the M3,->ke2366 M6 Gran Coupe, M5, X5 M, and M550d xDrive Touring all have made appearances in this highest form of motorcycle racing. Finally, don’t forget BMW makes bikes too, like the S1000 RR, two of which are employed for safety duties.

BMW M6 Convertible

The new BMW M6 Convertible was unveiled this year at the Detroit Auto Show,->ke222 and it combines high performance with the kind of unlimited headroom a motorcycle racer can appreciate. Under the hood is a turbocharged V-8 with 560 horsepower, pushing the RWD drop-top to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds and enabling an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. The transmission is a double-clutch unit, while technologies like Drivelogic, Dynamic Damper Control, and an Active M Differential support the sporty handling characteristics.

This year’s M Award car is outfitted with double-spoke, 20-inch BMW M alloy wheels, a full fine-grain Merino leather interior finished in Opal White, and Ash Grain White wood trim.

Read our full review of the pre-facelift model here.