Guru's word: Toprak in MotoGP will make quite a few quit

Danilo Petrucci's adventure began on a hot morning in Jerez: in the exhilarating yet challenging project with BMW, he will have by his side, in the role of crew chief, one of the Superbike paddock’s gurus: the German Markus Eschembacher. Here are the goals.

"Forget the stopwatch," Marcus cautions. "The World Championship starts next year (February 20–22 at Phillip Island, ed.), and we’re here only to put in laps and gather data. Calm—that’s the watchword for these tests."

Markus Eschembacher is one of the most renowned and seasoned technicians. He has worked in Superbike since 2010, when he was with Yamaha alongside Cal Crutchlow, and his career has since alternated between Superbike and MotoGP, always with top-level teams and prestigious riders. With Aprilia, he spent two years as Eugene Laverty’s crew chief in Superbike (ten wins), but also worked alongside Aleix Espargaro with the RS in MotoGP. In the top class he also worked with KTM, in 2019 with Johann Zarco. He then returned to Superbike, becoming one of BMW’s key figures: first with Laverty himself, then alongside Michael van der Mark. The new chapter with Danilo Petrucci is fascinating, including for those who will share the moments in the garage with him.

With Toprak Razgatlioglu gone—39 wins and two World Championships in two seasons—BMW has started from scratch. Even without the Turkish superstar, the current team is likely stronger than the previous one in every respect. The Dutchman Michael van der Mark has been reassigned to the role of tester, and in his place is Miguel Oliveira, one of MotoGP’s many unfinished stories. The Portuguese rider can do very well in Superbike: his crew chief will be the Australian Andrew Pitt, who two years ago was with Jonathan Rea at Yamaha.

BMW’s goal is to “forget” Toprak Razgatlioglu and still fight for the title with two different riders. “The Turk went incredibly fast on our bike because his riding style fit the M1000RR like a glove; it became an absolutely perfect rider-bike pairing. Danilo and Miguel have talent and hunger: they have a very demanding benchmark, but we are extremely confident they can do very, very well.”

"There are quite a few technical differences compared to Superbike, starting with the tires. Essentially, it’s a different game. But it’s still a motorcycle, with an engine and two wheels. I know both paddocks well and I maintain that the best Superbike riders can be fast in MotoGP too. At Yamaha, Toprak Razgatlioglu will find a tough nut to crack in Fabio Quartararo; it will be difficult for him to be as quick as the Frenchman right off the bat. But I am absolutely convinced that after two or three tests he’ll have already eaten the other two alive." Eschembacher is referring to Jack Miller and Alex Rins, by now two MotoGP veterans.

Why isn’t a heavyweight like Markus Eschembacher in MotoGP? “There’s a lot of politics there; often results depend on factors other than technology or the rider’s talent. It also has a very demanding schedule: in 2019, with KTM, I spent 36 weekends traveling in a single year. You risk losing everything: friends, family—it’s not easy to manage.” Superbike, with eleven rounds out of twelve in Europe, is more manageable. The ’26 challenge will be of the highest level: Markus and the other BMW technicians won’t be bored…