Tarran Mackenzie returns to the BSB – is this the end for the MGM Ducati team?

Tarran Mackenzie has been injured since his heavy crash in FP2 on 10 July at Donington Park. As he did not receive the all-clear from doctors ahead of this weekend’s races at Estoril, his season is over – Frenchman Loris Baz will also be riding for the MGM Ducati team in his place at the season finale in Jerez (16–18 October).

Mackenzie need not worry about his racing future. During his recovery, he has laid the groundwork together with his father Niall and will return to the British Superbike Championship in 2027, a series he won on a Yamaha in 2021. The 30-year-old has signed for the new BMW team run by Dale McElveen – Managing Director of tool manufacturer Milwaukee for the United Kingdom and Ireland – and his partner Leigh Finley, who will also take on the role of Technical Director. The team has been granted number 1 status by BMW, with Rory Skinner as the second rider.

For 2026, Mackenzie brought main sponsor Optical Express to MGM, thereby enabling the team to continue in the Superbike World Championship. Team principal Michael Galinski told SPEEDWEEK.com at the end of September that he would decide by November whether to continue in the World Championship.

The signs suggest otherwise. Without Mackenzie, Optical Express is unlikely to remain on board as a sponsor, and MGM staff have been sounding out other teams for jobs next year for weeks. Galinski himself has accepted the role of technical and regulations manager for the International German Championship (IDM) for 2027; of the IDM’s seven rounds, the last two overlap with the Superbike World Championship. There are also talks about whether the Go Eleven team could take over a bike from MGM, along with spare parts and air freight crates – the Italians want to increase their line-up from one to two Ducati Panigale V4Rs for 2027.

Mackenzie in the top five twice with MGM

Tarran Mackenzie raced in the World Superbike Championship for three years. After a season in the World Supersport Championship (where he secured a surprise victory in mixed conditions at Most), the then Petronas Honda boss Midori Moriwaki brought him into the Superbike team; but halfway through the 2025 season, ‘Taz’ pulled the plug and walked away because he no longer had any confidence in the team’s working methods. Scott Redding’s move to the BSB presented Mackenzie with an unexpected opportunity to finish the season with the German team MGM Ducati. There, he achieved 13 top-10 finishes, the highlights being 4th and 5th places in the second main races of 2026 at Phillip Island and Misano respectively.

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Estoril: Der Sonntag

FIM Superbike World Championship

11.10.2026 - 11:55

Tarran Mackenzie kehrt der Superbike-WM den Rücken

Foto: gold & goose