BMW works riders in the 2027 World Superbike Championship: awaiting confirmation

As SPEEDWEEK.com reported on 13 July, BMW is set to extend its contract with its current star rider, Miguel Oliveira, by three years; such deals are often structured as ‘2+1’. It has also been clear for some time that the partnership between BMW and Danilo Petrucci will end after this season, as the Italian is struggling to get to grips with the M1000RR.

Brad Binder will take the second seat in the ROKiT-BMW works team alongside Miguel Oliveira . As reported several times on this motorsport platform, the South African was the favourite from the outset. Binder has been competing in Grand Prix racing since 2012 and was crowned Moto3 champion in 2016. Following third and second-place finishes in the Moto2 World Championship in 2018 and 2019 respectively, he was promoted to MotoGP by KTM. In the premier class, he has won twice for the Austrian manufacturer and has stood on the podium eleven times. It is fair to say that he has never ridden the best bike during his MotoGP career; he finished the World Championship in 11th, 6th, 6th, 4th, 5th and 11th place.

There are various reasons why BMW has not yet announced its rider line-up for 2027. On the one hand, racing director Sven Blusch did not want to cause any unrest within the team during the summer break; on the other hand, Binder’s current contract with KTM has not permitted it until now.

The first two-thirds of the season have proved difficult for BMW; due to serious and protracted injuries, Oliveira (four podium finishes) and Petrucci are currently only 10th and 16th in the World Championship standings ahead of this coming weekend’s races at Magny-Cours.

BMW’s package is stronger than in 2026

On closer inspection, the situation isn’t quite so bleak. “We mustn’t forget that we were champions for the past two years,” emphasises team principal Shaun Muir. “Our package has improved and the bike is capable of more – we’ve proven that. Miguel knows how to solve his problems and has done so in the past. For Danilo, it’s much more difficult. He’s struggling to adapt to our base set-up, which we know works. You have to give riders the necessary confidence in the bike; they need to be convinced that podium finishes are possible.”

BMW used the long summer break since mid-July for intensive testing with the regular riders and the test team. “That’s a story that sells itself,” said Muir, describing how he convinced the riders for next year without actually mentioning their names. “We’ve proven that we can do it, and we must return to that level as quickly as possible.”

BMW-Teamchef Shaun Muir

Foto: gold & goose