Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) is officially a MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rider as he made his debut in the category in the thrilling 2026 season opener. Not only did the Portuguese MotoGP race winner score points in both full-length races, but he landed in the top eighth in both contests, no small feat when considering his back-of-grid start. The German manufacturer knew that this round was going to be uphill sledding with the lack of preseason testing time and the struggles that their bike has had at the circuit in the past, but Oliveira took home two strong results from the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

TOUGH BREAK FOR THE #88: Oliveira’s Superpole Race recovery run was foiled with a tech issue

Oliveira’s first day of his debut weekend got off to a bumpy start after he crashed on his first lap of the Tissot Superpole session, a lowside spill on Turn 2. He was unable as a result to set a time in the session, culminating in a back-of-grid start in Race 1.Both Saturday’s Race 1 P8 and Sunday’s opening Tissot Superpole Race was exemplary of the #88’s pedigree. In the latter however, he flew up the grid in the shorter race to hold P9 before a final-lap tech issue regarding his quick shifter mechanism saw him slide back down the order to finish P18 as he was stuck in gear and lost his hard-earned progress.

On his struggles in the first race on Sunday, Oliveira said: “The Superpole Race was going great. I made a lot of overtakes to get into the top nine, but on the second-to-last lap I started having a problem shifting gears. By the beginning of the last lap, I couldn’t shift gears anymore. I was stuck in gear, so I had to cruise around and try to stay out of other riders' way. I crossed the finish line very disappointed.”

POWERING THROUGH: “The comeback from last place in these wet conditions was probably the hardest thing I had to do in these wet conditions”

As the team worked to get the bike back online, outside the garage, clouds began to blow in from offshore. By the time the bikes were taking to the track for their installation lap of the weekend-concluding Race 2, it was pouring on the track. At lights out riders shot ahead through the spray kicked up by riders in front of them, hair-raising conditions, but Oliveira and his teammate Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) looked right at home in the deluge, fighting with each other and new factory Ducati rider Iker Lecuona for P6 before the WorldSBK veteran #9 eventually came out on top, to lead the trio with Oliveira finishing behind him in P7 but a strong note for the BMW pair to end the weekend on nonetheless.

On the final race of the weekend and his growth with the package, Oliveira said: “In the afternoon’s Race 2, we had another chance to go for points, and I did that. Danilo and I worked really well together, even racing a bit together; it was a question of the ‘proud teammate’ and who would finish in front of whom. Danilo got the better of me in Race 2, but we should be able to move forward from here. I have to say, making that comeback in the full wet conditions from all the way in the back was the hardest thing I had to do because visibility was so poor. We managed to stay on the bike, which was already an accomplishment in itself, and finishing P7 is something we have to be happy about. We were really close to Danilo; it’s not the place we want to be, but we have to be happy about it.”

HOMEBOUND: “We should be able to move forward from this race. I’m looking forward to racing at home”

Overall, Oliveira was on pace to take top ten finishes away from all three races this weekend, and outperformed his WorldSBK veteran teammate; not too shabby of results from the #88. As the field packs their bags and prepares to return to Europe for the rest of the season, Oliveira in particular is looking forward to Round 2. The round will take place in his home country of Portugal at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, with action kicking off on March 27^th.

On his debut weekend, and outlook ahead of his home round, Oliveira said: “It was eventful, for sure the progress is there, I’m showing more speed, I’m better with the bike, I’ve ridden with every condition, and I did two full races and a Superpole Race. I came up from the back of the grid. Now we just need to fix the qualifying, which I’m sure we can do in Portimao. We just need to see our potential about how much farther we can go on the grid! I’m looking forward to racing at home, and riding at a track where our bike is better suited. We head to Portimao with our heads held high, and with two more days of testing until then, I’m sure we’ll be much more competitive there.”

Tune in for Oliveira’s home weekend next round in Portimao with the WorldSBK VideoPass!