MGM not backing down, Superbike World Championship also in 2026: Mackenzie confirmed

The MGM team confirms its presence in WorldSBK for next year as well: Mackenzie remains on the Ducati.

In recent months there had been repeated talk of the possibility that the MGM Racing Performance team would not line up for the 2026 Superbike World Championship. Team boss Michael Galinski himself had acknowledged that this was an option. But today it was officially announced that the squad will be there, once again with Tarran Mackenzie, who during 2025 replaced Scott Redding on the Ducati Panigale V4 R.

The British rider is thrilled to have another chance to race in SBK: "I’m very happy to continue with MGM Racing for 2026! Joining Michael and his team in Hungary was a real pleasure and brought back the fun I had lost, as well as my self-confidence. By the end of the season I really started to feel like myself again. Going from having no bike to achieving my best results in WSBK was something I never imagined, and finishing the year the way we did at Jerez was the perfect way to close the season. My WSBK journey so far hasn’t been easy, but I truly feel I’ve found my home with this team and I can’t wait to see what 2026 brings."

Mackenzie started the 2025 Superbike World Championship with the Petronas MIE Honda team, but the parties split after the sixth round of the calendar, held at Misano Adriatico. Getting results with Midori Moriwaki’s team’s CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP was practically impossible, and the Scottish rider preferred to leave. The sudden split between Redding and the MGM team gave him another chance to race in the championship and to do so with a more competitive technical package. From the Balaton Park Circuit round onward, he rode for the German squad and had more fun doing it. In 2026 he will ride the new Ducati Panigale V4 R, which will be very inspiring.