News

The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team has a completely new look for the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season, and the team has set high marks for their rider pair. With the conclusion of the 2025 campaign, Toprak Razgatlioglu rode off into the sunset as a World Champion to chase his dreams in MotoGP, and after five years riding for the German manufacturer, Michael van der Mark opted for a new challenge, joining BMW’s World Endurance team as well as riding with their WorldSBK test team. Filling the shoes of the race-winning, fan-favourite pair was going to be a tall task, but BMW raised the eyebrows of the motorsport world with a pair of marquee signings to help them keep the victories rolling in in 2026.

GETTING UP TO SPEED: “My goal is to be up to the challenge and be as ready as I can to fight for top positions”

Miguel Oliveira made headlines as he put pen to paper and booked his ticket into the WorldSBK paddock for what will be his rookie season in the Championship in 2026. The Portuguese 31-year-old is a five-time MotoGP race winner and brings unquestionable pace to the team. He has been steadily settling in atop the BMW M 1000 RR over the offseason and looks to attack the podium positions from lights out at Phillip Island to the chequered flag at Jerez.

On his new challenge in 2026, Oliveira said: “I’m excited for sure. I don’t know really what to expect. I know it‘s going to be a difficult, competitive environment throughout the whole grid. So my goal is to be up to that challenge and be as ready as I can to fight for top positions and make my adaptation as fast as possible, especially to have fun and to make the team enjoy the races.”

The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team has a completely new look for the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season, and the team has set high marks for their rider pair. With the conclusion of the 2025 campaign, Toprak Razgatlioglu rode off into the sunset as a World Champion to chase his dreams in MotoGP, and after five years riding for the German manufacturer, Michael van der Mark opted for a new challenge, joining BMW’s World Endurance team as well as riding with their WorldSBK test team. Filling the shoes of the race-winning, fan-favourite pair was going to be a tall task, but BMW raised the eyebrows of the motorsport world with a pair of marquee signings to help them keep the victories rolling in in 2026.

GETTING UP TO SPEED: “My goal is to be up to the challenge and be as ready as I can to fight for top positions”

Miguel Oliveira made headlines as he put pen to paper and booked his ticket into the WorldSBK paddock for what will be his rookie season in the Championship in 2026. The Portuguese 31-year-old is a five-time MotoGP race winner and brings unquestionable pace to the team. He has been steadily settling in atop the BMW M 1000 RR over the offseason and looks to attack the podium positions from lights out at Phillip Island to the chequered flag at Jerez.

On his new challenge in 2026, Oliveira said: “I’m excited for sure. I don’t know really what to expect. I know it‘s going to be a difficult, competitive environment throughout the whole grid. So my goal is to be up to that challenge and be as ready as I can to fight for top positions and make my adaptation as fast as possible, especially to have fun and to make the team enjoy the races.”

STRIVING FOR PROGRESS: “I can’t wait to race with this bike… I want to be as fast as I can and improve my results from last season”

Joining him in the garage, Italy’s Danilo Petrucci made the jump this offseason from Barni – Ducati to BMW after sliding down to a fifth-place finish in the Riders’ Championship in 2025 after suffering an unfortunate wrist injury in training. Petrucci made the jump from MotoGP back in 2023 and spent his first three seasons in the Championship with the Independent team, amassing 20 podiums and three wins in that time. Now in a factory seat, ‘Petrux’ faces a new challenge which he will take on with the throttle open and a knife between his teeth!

On joining the German manufacturer this season, Petrucci said: “I’m so happy and proud to join the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. It’s the team that won the last Championships and I’m so proud to be part of it. I can’t wait to race with this bike. We did a few tests, and in rainy conditions the situation is really good. We need to spend more time in the dry because we didn’t have much time in such conditions yet. There are a lot of expectations, but mainly I want to enjoy. I don’t have any particular result in mind. I just want to be as fast as I can and improve my results from last season.”

ON THE HUNT: “I’m looking forward to the season - we can take the fight to the competition.”

Not taking away from Razgatlioglu’s tremendous skill atop the bike, but his success was contributed to by the talented personnel around him in the BMW garage. Team Principal Shaun Muir, Technical Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Christian Gonschor, and overseeing it all, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Sven Blusch each played their role in keeping the machine running, both literally and figuratively, and will strive to do the same for Oliveira and Petrucci in 2026.

On 2026, Muir said: “We are really looking forward to the 2026 season. We have a new set of goals and targets with our two new riders, Danilo and Miguel. It's really exciting to start the new chapter of the World Superbike programme with BMW Motorrad and our sponsors. I think the expectation is really hig,h also, finishing as World Champions for the last two years, and we’re really determined to give the riders the best tools we possibly can to reach the podium as soon as possible. I think that when we get into Europe from round two, three onwards, we’ll really start to see the true potential of the rider/bike combinations so we’re looking forward to that. Most important is that we give Danilo and Miguel the full support and show how determined we are to continue the good work that we’ve done in the past. So I’m looking forward to the season - we can take the fight to the competition.”

On the upcoming campaign, Gonschor said: “2026 will be an exciting year of motorsport for BMW Motorrad Motorsport, with clear goals and focus. The mix of new riders and technicians, along with our already strong race teams, partners, and sponsors, makes us eager for more. Everyone is looking forward to the season opener in all relevant classes. The limited dry-weather testing opportunities for our Superbike World Championship team only fuel the ambition of the riders and the team even more. When time is limited, passion and self-confidence help. Danilo and Miguel feel the unwavering commitment of everyone in the team and inspire with their determination, great personalities, and incredible experience. Representing BMW Motorrad Motorsport on the podium regularly with both riders is the clear goal for 2026. Standing still is falling behind, so the wheel will keep turning in both the test team and our Munich headquarters. The riders can look forward to continuous development.”

Lastly, Blusch added: “After the two World Championship titles in 2024 and 2025, our full focus is now on continuing this momentum. On the WorldSBK side, we are perfectly positioned. With Danilo Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira, we have brought on board two experienced top riders, whom we’ve already had the chance to get to know a little over the winter. We head to Australia with a very good feeling. Although we had a lot of rain during testing and would have liked a few more laps, we are already looking forward to Phillip Island.” 

Subscribe to the WorldSBK VideoPass for unparalleled access to live races and the extensive video archive going back decades!

Joining him in the garage, Italy’s Danilo Petrucci made the jump this offseason from Barni – Ducati to BMW after sliding down to a fifth-place finish in the Riders’ Championship in 2025 after suffering an unfortunate wrist injury in training. Petrucci made the jump from MotoGP back in 2023 and spent his first three seasons in the Championship with the Independent team, amassing 20 podiums and three wins in that time. Now in a factory seat, ‘Petrux’ faces a new challenge which he will take on with the throttle open and a knife between his teeth!

On joining the German manufacturer this season, Petrucci said: “I’m so happy and proud to join the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. It’s the team that won the last Championships and I’m so proud to be part of it. I can’t wait to race with this bike. We did a few tests, and in rainy conditions the situation is really good. We need to spend more time in the dry because we didn’t have much time in such conditions yet. There are a lot of expectations, but mainly I want to enjoy. I don’t have any particular result in mind. I just want to be as fast as I can and improve my results from last season.”

ON THE HUNT: “I’m looking forward to the season - we can take the fight to the competition.”

Not taking away from Razgatlioglu’s tremendous skill atop the bike, but his success was contributed to by the talented personnel around him in the BMW garage. Team Principal Shaun Muir, Technical Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Christian Gonschor, and overseeing it all, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Sven Blusch each played their role in keeping the machine running, both literally and figuratively, and will strive to do the same for Oliveira and Petrucci in 2026.

On 2026, Muir said: “We are really looking forward to the 2026 season. We have a new set of goals and targets with our two new riders, Danilo and Miguel. It's really exciting to start the new chapter of the World Superbike programme with BMW Motorrad and our sponsors. I think the expectation is really hig,h also, finishing as World Champions for the last two years, and we’re really determined to give the riders the best tools we possibly can to reach the podium as soon as possible. I think that when we get into Europe from round two, three onwards, we’ll really start to see the true potential of the rider/bike combinations so we’re looking forward to that. Most important is that we give Danilo and Miguel the full support and show how determined we are to continue the good work that we’ve done in the past. So I’m looking forward to the season - we can take the fight to the competition.”

On the upcoming campaign, Gonschor said: “2026 will be an exciting year of motorsport for BMW Motorrad Motorsport, with clear goals and focus. The mix of new riders and technicians, along with our already strong race teams, partners, and sponsors, makes us eager for more. Everyone is looking forward to the season opener in all relevant classes. The limited dry-weather testing opportunities for our Superbike World Championship team only fuel the ambition of the riders and the team even more. When time is limited, passion and self-confidence help. Danilo and Miguel feel the unwavering commitment of everyone in the team and inspire with their determination, great personalities, and incredible experience. Representing BMW Motorrad Motorsport on the podium regularly with both riders is the clear goal for 2026. Standing still is falling behind, so the wheel will keep turning in both the test team and our Munich headquarters. The riders can look forward to continuous development.”

Lastly, Blusch added: “After the two World Championship titles in 2024 and 2025, our full focus is now on continuing this momentum. On the WorldSBK side, we are perfectly positioned. With Danilo Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira, we have brought on board two experienced top riders, whom we’ve already had the chance to get to know a little over the winter. We head to Australia with a very good feeling. Although we had a lot of rain during testing and would have liked a few more laps, we are already looking forward to Phillip Island.” 

Subscribe to the WorldSBK VideoPass for unparalleled access to live races and the extensive video archive going back decades!