Miguel Oliveira on his debut season: “We could have done better”

Following the Superbike rounds at Phillip Island, Portimão and Assen, Miguel Oliveira appeared to have mastered the transition from MotoGP to the production-based World Championship with ease. The Portuguese rider secured a creditable fourth place in the World Championship standings with three podium finishes.

When the BMW rider crashed through no fault of his own in the Superpole race at the Balaton Park Circuit, sustaining a concussion, fractures to his shoulder blade and ribs, and injuries to his shoulder tendons, it was his first real setback. Following his return (he missed the race weekends at Most and Aragon), he alternated between good and less successful races. At his second home race in Estoril, Oliveira came close to the podium again, but failed to secure a top-ten finish at the season finale in Jerez.

“Overall, my first Superbike season was solid – at the end of the season, I drew a positive conclusion for myself,” said the 31-year-old during his visit to the EICMA motorbike show. “There were races where we didn’t achieve the results we’d hoped for. A few of those were down to injuries; overall, we could have done better. But towards the end of the season, we showed that we’re strong and fast. We’ll be taking the experience we’ve gained into the next season and are already looking forward to 2027.”

As a rookie, the five-time MotoGP winner had to get used to a new environment and a new motorbike. Oliveira will go into the 2027 Superbike World Championship better prepared.

“The three-race format was certainly different and makes the weekends more intense, especially on Sunday when you hardly get a moment’s rest. But the technical side – adapting to the bike and the tyres – was more challenging,” explained Oliveira, for whom the new season began with a two-day test at Jerez. “It was a good test in perfect weather. The main aim was to make a quick comparison between the tyres and get a feel for how the riding sensation changes. It was also important that we were able to gather data and information to develop ideas on what adjustments we need to make to the bike.”