A blow to the gut: Why the BMW riders struggled at Magny-Cours

Following Toprak Razgatlioglu’s move to MotoGP, the 2026 Superbike World Championship has been a disappointing campaign for BMW. There are various reasons for this, in particular the protracted injuries to Miguel Oliveira (crash at Balaton Park) and Danilo Petrucci (crash at Most). However, it is also true that, so far, only the superstar from Turkey has been able to maximise the strengths of the M1000RR and compensate for its weaknesses with his talent. The ninth round of the season at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours was another low point.

Yet the ROKiT BMW works team had actually emerged from the almost two-month summer break in good form and perfectly prepared. Both riders were fit, and a pre-race test had already yielded set-up data that had raised hopes of a successful race weekend in France – but the opposite proved to be the case. In qualifying, Petrucci’s 17th place on the grid was the best result. The Italian also secured the best race finish in the points – out of just 15 riders in the standings – with 12th place in the second race. In the same race, Oliveira finished last. The Portuguese rider, in turn, came twelfth in the Superpole Race, in which, however, only the top nine score points.

“Unfortunately, we were unable to carry the strong pace from testing over into the race weekend. The significantly lower track temperatures affected grip levels more than expected,” explained Christian Gonschor, Technical Director at BMW Motorrad Motorsport. “The team and the riders tried everything to set up the bikes accordingly, but we now need to analyse how we can respond better to such changes in conditions in future. Another factor was that the Superpole session went very badly. That had an extremely negative impact on the rest of the weekend, as it’s even more difficult from those starting positions.”

Willkommen zum Rennen in Magny-Cours

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Nicolò Bulega

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Axel Bassani

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Boxengasse

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Garrett Gerloff

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Fans

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Xavier Vierge

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Sam Lowes

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Iker Lecuona

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Álvaro Bautista

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Start des Rennens

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Lorenzo Baldassarri

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Axel Bassani

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Sam Lowes

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Nicolò Bulega

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Iker Lecuona

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Yari Montella

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Nicolò Bulega gewinnt beide Läufe in Frankreich

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Bulega und Lecuona

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Podium Lauf 1 - Iker Lecuona, Nicolò Bulega, Sam Lowes

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Podium Lauf 2 - Iker Lecuona, Nicolò Bulega, Yari Montella

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Sieger Nicolò Bulega

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Willkommen zum Rennen in Magny-Cours

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It came as a surprise that Petrucci, of all people – who had been struggling so far this season – was stronger at Magny-Cours, especially as the partnership between BMW and the 35-year-old is set to end after just one season – this was also officially confirmed at the weekend in France.

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“I’m satisfied with Race Two,” said Petrucci. “As I told the lads: it’s a shame that we work so hard, really give it our all, and in the end only finish twelfth – that’s not where we want to be. But the team believes in me, I trust the team, and we’re working extremely hard. I really gave it my all, especially in the second race. The pace wasn’t bad, and we managed to score points in both main races. It’s hard to say that I’m enjoying it, but at least my pace was fairly consistent. That motivates me for Cremona.”