BMW unveils its anti-Ducati weapon: a new motorcycle to reclaim Superbike supremacy

Among the architects of BMW Motorrad’s first historic podium—and the first for a non-Japanese manufacturer at the Suzuka 8 Hours—Michael van der Mark returned to action in recent days.

Between one track day at Assen and the next, in great secrecy (more or less...) he took part in a private test session on behalf of the BMW Motorrad World Superbike Test Team. More than focusing on the remaining events of the 2026 season, the work was already geared toward next year or, at the latest, even 2028. With a brand-new bike.

In recent years, the company with the Propeller has homologated a slew of new versions of the M 1000 RR. Proof of this is that, between the S 1000 RR and the M 1000 RR, there are as many as 7 different FIM-homologated models eligible to race in the Superbike World Championship (and in the EWC Endurance top class). The most recent, code K66 MU 2, dates back to February 2025, representing the bike that carried Toprak Razgatlioglu to his latest Superbike world title.

In fact, the current model is the one now available to Miguel Oliveira and Danilo Petrucci, but in a few months an all-new bike will arrive. The contemporary M 1000 RR will certainly be updated with improvements, while a completely new version is slated to launch by 2028 at the latest. It will retain the current designation (S/M 1000 RR), but with a revised engine and chassis (starting from the famed “superconcession” of 2024?), along with a thoroughly renewed aerodynamic package.

With the new S/M 1000 RR, BMW thus renews its commitment to top-level motorcycle racing. In Endurance with the goal of securing the first world title in its history, and in Superbike with the intent to challenge Ducati for the championship, won in 2024–2025. Miguel Oliveira could stay on for 2027, alongside a second rider currently being defined, whether that be Manu Gonzalez or Jack Miller.

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