[WorldSBK] A comeback next season with MotoGP rider B. Binder! BMW's 2026 season plagued by rider injuries

The 2026 season for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team, competing in the Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), has been a difficult one due to injuries to Miguel Oliveira and Danilo Petrucci. Although they showed promise early on with podium finishes, they have struggled since the middle of the season. The team has already announced the signing of Brad Binder for 2027 and is moving forward with building a new structure.

A tough season marked by a series of injuries

For the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team, which achieved great success with Toprak Razgatlioglu in 2024 and 2025, the 2026 Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) has been a year of severe trials. Welcoming two new riders, Miguel Oliveira and Danilo Petrucci, this season, the team was forced to play catch-up from the start due to a lack of mileage in winter testing caused by bad weather. For Oliveira, a former MotoGP race winner, the opening round at Phillip Island was uncharted territory.

Oliveira crashed during his first attack in the Superpole, painfully realizing the unforgiving nature of WorldSBK. However, in the final race, starting from the back of the grid in 21st place, he made a stunning debut by finishing in the top 10, outperforming his teammate Petrucci, who had started from the second row. In the following second round at Portimao, Oliveira, racing in his home country, put on a performance that included three podium finishes, and Petrucci also finished in the top 10. The strength of the BMW M 1000 RR package was demonstrated, and the team's expectations for the season were rising.

Both riders finished in the top 10 at the Dutch round at Assen, where they had struggled with tire issues the previous year, and Oliveira again took a podium finish from a second-row start in Race 1 of the Hungarian round. Just as Oliveira was establishing himself as the leader driving the team, a crash in the Superpole race held on Sunday in Hungary resulted in a broken shoulder. Furthermore, in the next round, Petrucci suffered a serious injury, breaking his tailbone and other bones in a violent high-side, and the team's situation took a turn for the worse.

Announcement of Brad Binder's signing and reorganization of technical staff for 2027

Although Petrucci attempted a comeback at the Donington Park round, he was unable to show competitiveness while still recovering from his serious injuries. In the races after the summer break, both riders started from 18th and 19th positions, and team morale hit rock bottom as they finished outside the top 10 in all three races. Although Oliveira has returned to the track, the recovery from his shoulder injury involves demanding physical requirements, and how much of his original performance he can regain towards the end of the season remains a major challenge.

In the middle of the 2026 season, plagued by bad luck due to injuries, BMW decided to change its structure for next season early. It was announced that Brad Binder, who is competing in MotoGP with KTM in 2026, will be hired as a rider for the 2027 season, replacing Petrucci. The team has already begun building a crew centered around the South African Binder, and is also proceeding with the reorganization of existing technical staff, including welcoming Tom O'Kane from Yamaha as crew chief.

BMW is already looking ahead to the 2027 opening round at Phillip Island, aiming to use the lessons of this season as a foundation for future success. It has been announced that for the 2027 season, the final round will be held in Shanghai, China for the first time. Also, Nicolo Bulega won the championship in the 2026 season.