Brad Binder in Superbike in 2027: why it’s a strategic choice for BMW

The South African rider will restart in the production-derived championship after many years in MotoGP: will he be able to be competitive with the M 1000 RR?

There are riders on the current grid who have been left without a MotoGP seat for 2027 and have had to consider moving to another championship. That’s the case for Brad Binder, who next year will race in the Superbike World Championship with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad team.

The 31-year-old South African was not retained by the Red Bull KTM Factory team in MotoGP, but he has found a good arrangement for his future in motorcycle racing. Even if 2026 hasn’t been sparkling, after two riders’ titles won with Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW is a manufacturer that invests money in WorldSBK and that in 2027 will line up on the grid with an evolved M 1000 RR to try to challenge Ducati.

Binder will be reunited with Miguel Oliveira, already his teammate in Moto3, Moto2, and also in MotoGP. They have a good relationship, and sharing a Superbike garage won’t be a problem; in fact, having two riders who know each other well and already know how to collaborate should help the team in its work.

Shaun Muir, ROKiT BMW Motorrad team manager, explained why the choice to replace Danilo Petrucci fell on the South African: "Signing Brad is a somewhat strategic choice," he told the official WorldSBK website. "He and Miguel are of similar height, even if they have different riding styles. Brad is extremely aggressive on the brakes. They are of a similar age and, historically, have had a similar approach to setup, which helps us enormously. He wants to be part of the team and improve, and we hope our package provides a straightforward baseline for both." We’ll see if the German manufacturer was right to bet on the current KTM MotoGP rider.

The only rider able to win titles with the M 1000 RR has been Razgatlioglu, a master of late braking. Binder shares that same trait, but we’ll have to see if he can adapt it effectively in Superbike with different bikes and tires (from 2027 Michelin will replace Pirelli). His aggressive riding could pair well with the BMW, which next year should be more manageable thanks to a new frame reportedly inspired by the one Toprak used in 2024 thanks to the super-concessions and then banned for 2025 due to a regulation change.

While waiting to climb aboard the M 1000 RR, the 2016 Moto3 world champion is keen to finish his MotoGP stint with KTM as well as possible. In the last Grand Prix in Austria he returned to competitiveness, finishing sixth; in the next outing in Japan he’ll be looking to repeat himself.

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