BMW Superbike: Oliveira calls for a response, Petrucci reconsiders MotoAmerica

The current BMW Superbike riders are struggling with the M 1000 RR and are making similar comments about the situation. Meanwhile, for Petrux the MotoAmerica option seems to be reopening.

The test carried out at Magny-Cours in mid-August was essentially of no use to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team. In the recent round in France, the results were poor with both Miguel Oliveira and Danilo Petrucci. Having the chance to ride the track less than a month before the race weekend should have provided an advantage, but it didn’t: the French campaign was a total failure for the team led by manager Shaun Muir.

Oliveira is asking for improvements in every area of the M 1000 RR, though he knows the main one in which he’d like to see a step forward in the short term: "It’s not about a few tenths of a second - reports Speedweek - but many tenths per lap. It’s not just one area, but all of them, where our competitors are a step ahead of us. We have identified what we can do. A key aspect for us is improving the turning, we’re losing a lot of time in this area. The rest is a consequence of that. For next year, I hope our bike is a bit easier to handle, it’s tough to ride and I can’t afford to make mistakes".

The limited margin for error when riding the BMW is also confirmed by Petrucci: "The bike has a very narrow optimal operating window - he explains - and if you ride outside that window, it’s hard to be fast. I don’t blame anyone, but I just can’t get the most out of this bike. I’m really sad, the team is trying to help me. Miguel and I keep saying the same thing. I don’t like racing like this: it’s embarrassing for me and for the team".

The problems are well known in the ROKiT BMW Motorrad garage; by 2027 the situation should improve thanks to an evolved bike that ought to resolve the issues, or at least a good part of them. It remains to be seen whether the new Michelin tires will be an advantage or not compared to the competition, Ducati first and foremost.

Oliveira took four podiums with the M 1000 RR in the 2026 Superbike World Championship and overall convinced BMW enough to sign him to a multi-year contract with the goal of targeting the title. Petrucci on the other hand, didn’t have any standout results and next year his seat will be taken by Brad Binder.

It was a mutual decision not to continue together in WorldSBK, but the Italian rider also explained that the parties are considering the possibility of continuing to collaborate in another championship. Over the recent weekend, Petrux flew to the United States, specifically to Austin, where the penultimate round of the 2026 MotoAmerica calendar was held. It wasn’t a trip solely to greet some old friends he met during his Superbike stint in 2022, when he finished runner-up aboard the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R.

As he himself showed on social media, at the Circuit of the Americas he was a guest of OrangeCat Racing, the team that BMW supports in the MotoAmerica Superbike championship and which could win the title with Sean Dylan Kelly. The former Moto2 rider is the current points leader with a 26-point advantage over Bobby Fong (Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing). There are still 75 points up for grabs in the final round at the New Jersey Motorsports Park (September 25–27), so it’s still all to play for.

Kelly’s teammate is Jayson Uribe, sixth in the standings: he could be the one to make room for Petrucci in 2027. Returning to race in MotoAmerica Superbike could be a stimulating challenge for Petrux, who in 2022 fought for the title with Jake Gagne until the final round and who could again have the chance to achieve that goal by mounting the team OrangeCat M 1000 RR.

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