From the highly anticipated Oliveira to the surprising Surra: how the 2026 SBK rookies are doing

There are some who smile and some who don’t among the new faces of the Superbike World Championship.

There are seven rookies on the 2026 SBK grid, each arriving with the goal of proving their worth by getting the most out of the technical package at their disposal. Some are succeeding, others are struggling. Let’s analyze each of their situations after the first eight rounds of the calendar.

Taking over from Toprak Razgatlioglu was tough, and no one expected Oliveira and Petrucci to replicate the Turkish phenomenon’s success—especially after pre-season tests ruined by rain, which prevented sufficient work and proper preparation for the challenge against a Ducati that probably would have made even Razgatlioglu sweat.

Compared to Petrux, Oliveira has adapted better to the M 1000. In fact, he claimed three podiums at Portimão, on “home soil” in Portugal, and then again in Race 1 at Balaton Park. However, in Hungary he suffered a nasty crash in the Superpole Race: he sustained fractures to the scapula and ribs, tendon injuries in the left shoulder, and a concussion. He had to miss the rounds at Most and Aragón, then returned at Misano with an impressive eighth in Race 1 and sixth in the Superpole Race, only to retire early from Race 2 to preserve himself physically.

He arrived at Donington Park in better physical condition and eager to do well, but it turned into a black weekend for BMW. During the break they will conduct tests to be better prepared for the Superbike Championship’s resumption at Magny-Cours (September 4–6). In the coming weeks, his contract renewal should also be finalized, after the German manufacturer chose not to exercise the 2027 option (which expired at the end of June). There’s no questioning Oliveira’s value: if he’s fit and has a competitive bike, he can thrill SBK fans.

After two tough seasons with Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Ryan Vickers, it seems Lorenzo Mauri has found the “new Axel Bassani,” namely a young rider capable of delivering big results for Team Motocorsa. Mauri bet on Bassani in 2021 and was handsomely repaid; now Surra is bringing him more joy.

The 22-year-old from Piedmont has grown weekend after weekend; since Balaton Park he’s been a steady top-10 finisher and has twice managed to close inside the top 5. Unfortunately, at Donington Park he had to retire early due to bursitis in his right shoulder. A real shame, considering how strong the Ducati Panigale V4 R was in the UK as well. Surra had the potential to bag more excellent results. He’ll try again at Magny-Cours.

The Italian rider has shown he deserves a place in the Superbike World Championship, and we’ll surely see him on the grid in 2027 too. Team Motocorsa wants to enjoy more success together with him.

The almost-38-year-old (he turns 38 in August) and the Advocates Superbike Racing team were late additions. Initially, a BSB campaign was planned, then the Australian squad managed to gather the resources to race in the World Championship—and they are holding their own.

Having a Ducati Panigale V4 R—the best bike on the grid—is certainly an advantage; but the quality of the work done by the Advocates team and by Bridewell must be highlighted, as since the Most round they’ve begun to feature in the top 10 with some regularity.

The Australian team’s plans for 2027 are still unknown: will the veteran Bridewell still be in the box, or will boss Lecha Khouri go for a bigger (and younger) name?

The reigning World Supersport champion was certainly one of the most anticipated rookies of 2026, but he’s found himself dealing with a Yamaha R1 that isn’t competitive enough. Fellow Yamaha riders are struggling too, so this first Superbike season hasn’t been easy for the 27-year-old from Rimini. So far, only four top-10 finishes.

Manzi is giving his all to learn and be ready for 2027, when he’ll remain with the GYTR GRT Yamaha team and hopes to have a slightly more competitive R1 in his hands. Not being able to show his true potential is certainly frustrating, but the Romagna rider is trying not to be overwhelmed by negative feelings.

After a tough year in MotoGP, the Thai rider restarted in WorldSBK, finding a seat with the Honda HRC team. Before the winter tests he was injured during a training session on a bike at Sepang, returned for the Portimão round, and inevitably struggled with a CBR1000RR-R Fireblade that seems to be the worst bike on the grid. His best result was thirteenth place in Race 2 at Misano Adriatico.

Chantra is trying to do his best, but the Honda HRC team would need something more to effectively push the bike’s development and achieve respectable results. We’ll see if he keeps the seat for 2027.

The 21-year-old from Brianza is the new signing of the Yamaha Motoxracing team and is facing inevitable difficulties with the R1. His goal is to be as close as possible to his teammate Bahattin Sofuoglu, who is in his second year in SBK with Sandro Carusi’s squad. The Turk has 4 points in the overall standings, so the battle is wide open.

Rato’s best result was fourteenth place in Race 2 at the Balaton Park Circuit; that was the only race in which he managed to score points. Today it’s hard to say whether in 2027 he will still be racing in Superbike or restart from another category.

The former Moto2 rider’s first year in WorldSBK has been an ordeal: he crashed and was injured on the last day of pre-season testing at Phillip Island. Fractures to his left wrist and left hand kept him out for the first five rounds, then he debuted at Aragón, but subsequently skipped Misano to focus on his full physical recovery. He returned to action at his home round at Donington Park, but he’s still not at 100%.

Expectations for him were higher than for Chantra, also because after the Jerez test Dixon appeared very confident in the Honda HRC project, while fully aware of the amount of work needed to achieve noteworthy results. His physical problems have heavily affected him, and it’s a real shame we’ve never seen him at the top of his form.

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