Miguel Oliviera and the new Superbike challenge: comeback or swan song?

Miguel Oliveira lands in Superbike on the BMW to beat after two years full of problems in MotoGP. Will it be a relaunch or a swan song?

The Portuguese rider is at a crossroads. In terms of age he’s not yet a veteran (31), but from a sporting standpoint he definitely is. He debuted in the World Championship back in 2011 and, after coming close to the world title in both feeder classes (two runner-up finishes and a third), once he stepped up to MotoGP he long seemed on the verge of finally exploding. With KTM, for whom he raced from 2019 to 2023, he signed five victories—numbers worthy of a top rider. But with Aprilia and Yamaha Pramac, his performances fell off a cliff, in seasons marred by physical problems and the consequent loss of momentum, including mentally.

"Miguel Oliveira is a very fast rider, at times blisteringly fast, but he’s very prone to losing his way; when he can’t find the direction, his morale spirals downward and he doesn’t come out of it easily," one of the technicians he has worked with recently told us. At Yamaha Pramac he always remained somewhat in the shadows, even of his teammate Jack Miller, who in fact kept his seat while the Portuguese rider was shown the door. In the hectic MotoGP rider market, the best he could hope for was a test role. The BMW offer, besides being lucrative, is the lifeline to reignite his sporting trajectory. The swap with Toprak Razgatlioglu, who effectively took the Portuguese rider’s place at Pramac, is a very demanding one: the benchmark is the two World Championships and 39 victories the Turkish superstar racked up in just two seasons on the M1000RR.

The first (and so far only) Portuguese rider to win in MotoGP will find his first major obstacle right in his own garage. Danilo Petrucci, 36, has won less in MotoGP (just twice) but already boasts three years of experience in Superbike. In his latest campaign, beyond the final standings, he was the best of the rest—that is, the most incisive rider in the shadow of dominant Toprak Razgatlioglu and his challenger Nicolò Bulega. It will be a no-holds-barred duel to earn the crucial status of BMW lead rider: Oliveira or Petrucci?

The post-Toprak era has been handled well by BMW’s management: they secured the best Superbike rider available, namely Petrux, and with Oliveira they picked up a rider who, at least in his KTM days, showed sky-high potential in MotoGP. On paper it’s an explosive pairing, but the verdict will be delivered on track. Miguel knows this is a golden opportunity and is preparing meticulously. But will he be able to handle the pressure that comes with riding the all-conquering BMW of recent years? Will he adapt quickly to Pirelli tires, a whole different world compared to the Michelin rubber he has always used in the top class? The question marks remain; Oliveira is raring to go, and with him all of racing Portugal. It will be a challenge with an extremely high degree of difficulty. We’ll see whether Miguel is as mentally fragile as some say, or whether it was all a matter of having the right technical package and motivation.