BMW ready to respond: Petrucci and Oliveira at Portimao to prevent Bulega from pulling away

BMW a bit on the back foot in Australia, but determined to take the fight to the Bulega–Ducati duo for the remainder of the 2026 SBK season. The chase resumes from Portimão.

Toprak Razgatlioglu’s departure is a huge loss for the Superbike World Championship and for BMW, which won its first titles in the category thanks to the Turk and has now had to turn the page. The signing of two riders like Danilo Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira confirms the German manufacturer’s desire to win, even if it will be more complicated. While El Turco adapted quickly to the M 1000 RR—which in 2024 could also count on a “super-concession” frame—the newcomers will need more time. Having had pre-season tests hampered by terrible weather conditions, the two didn’t even get enough track time to get to know the new bike and try to extract its potential.

Today and tomorrow some WorldSBK teams will be on track at Portimão to prepare for the Portuguese round (March 27–29) and the rest of the season. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad team is present with its riders and will try to make the most of these two days of testing.

Even though Nicolò Bulega with the new Ducati Panigale V4 R completely dominated the first round of the 2026 Superbike season at Phillip Island, we shouldn’t see a championship with the same script we saw in Australia. Christian Gonschor, BMW’s technical director, is convinced: “I think the season is unpredictable,” he told Speedweek. “I don’t think it will be boring. Momentum can change very quickly, both positively and negatively. That’s why I’m convinced we’ll see an exciting season with great battles. We don’t have just one Bologna bike in the race, but several with the same equipment. Then there’s us and the other three manufacturers. As always, I would exclude Phillip Island from this discussion.”

Phillip Island should be considered a one-off; in Europe we should see more hard-fought rounds and a BMW more capable of being a protagonist with its riders. Gonschor is convinced he has an M 1000 RR capable of battling at the front—after all, it’s the bike that won the last two Superbike world titles: “We know our strengths and weaknesses. We have a lot of ideas. We have new riders and new engineers in the team. That means we have plenty of work to do to make the most of the existing package.”

BMW is investing in the category and will give its all to try to target the world crown again in 2026. The mission is very complicated, but for the German manufacturer it’s important to prove it can win even with riders other than the phenomenal Toprak Razgatlioglu. It would also be an important message for the brand’s future in the category, given that it’s down to just two M 1000 RRs on the grid. Showing that other riders can also achieve great results with the Bavarian bike could attract one or more customer teams.

It should be said that looking ahead to 2027, BMW’s top brass have not yet decided whether to confirm their presence in the Superbike World Championship. Perhaps they’re waiting to understand what Liberty Media intends to do with the championship—the direction is not yet clear. As of today, the only certain thing is that MotoGP is the American company’s priority.