Ducati loses a team in the World Superbike Championship: MGM announces its departure

The German team confirms it will not be on the WorldSBK grid in 2027: after rumors surfaced in recent weeks, an official announcement has now followed.

The World Superbike round at Jerez was not the last one only for Danilo Petrucci and (possibly) Alvaro Bautista, but also for MGM Racing. Michael Galinski’s team will not be part of the 2027 grid, although it is still unclear whether it will compete in another motorcycle championship.

The announcement came this morning via MGM Racing’s official Instagram page: "The rumors are true: after 6 years, we are saying goodbye to WorldSBK! It has been a fantastic, eventful, exciting and intense chapter in MGM’s history, and we are grateful to everyone who made it all possible".

Competing in the World Superbike Championship requires a considerable financial commitment, making generous sponsor support essential to ensuring the season is financially sustainable. In 2026, the German team had a title sponsor in Optical Express, whose backing was crucial in securing the budget needed to compete in the championship. The conditions were not in place to continue the project in 2027, which began in 2021 when MGM partnered with Bonovo Action and fielded BMW bikes. Since Bonovo’s departure in 2025, Galinski has gone it alone, opting for Ducati.

After an initial stint with Scott Redding, Tarran Mackenzie was signed and raised his performance and results in 2026 aboard the new Panigale V4 R. Unfortunately, an injury at Donington Park brought his season to an early end. In the final rounds, Scottish rider’s place was taken by Loris Baz, a familiar face in both WorldSBK and MGM. While he continues his recovery, it has emerged that Mackenzie could return to BSB.

Ducati is losing a team, but that does not necessarily mean it will have one fewer Panigale V4 R on the grid in 2027. Go Eleven has in fact been in talks for weeks about doubling its presence on the Superbike grid. Backed by sponsor Pata and its other partners, Gianni Ramello’s team is working to finalize the deal.

The rider expected to join confirmed rider Lorenzo Baldassarri is likely to be either Alessandro Delbianco or Albert Arenas. The newly crowned Supersport world champion appears to have the edge over the two-time CIV Superbike champion. There had also been talks with Danilo Petrucci, but the rider from Terni is now out of the running and appears to be considering a return to MotoAmerica.