Superbike, Binder-BMW and Miller-Yamaha: Oliveira and Locatelli react

From MotoGP to WorldSBK, two more riders are about to make the switch with the goal of succeeding: their future teammates are ready to welcome them—to collaborate, and to beat them.

The Superbike World Championship had already lost Toprak Razgatlioglu at the end of the 2025 season and will also lose Nicolò Bulega after 2026. Two very heavy goodbyes, but the riders’ choice to test themselves in MotoGP must be respected. And it’s precisely from MotoGP that other big names will arrive who could do well in the category.

While waiting for the Aruba.it Ducati team to officially confirm the signing of Franco Morbidelli as Bulega’s replacement, the ROKiT BMW Motorrad and Pata Maxus Yamaha teams have gone ahead and announced Brad Binder and Jack Miller respectively. Left without a seat in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, they will land in the production-derived championship with a strong desire to perform well and relaunch their careers.

Miguel Oliveira knows Binder very well, having been his teammate already in Moto3, Moto2, and MotoGP: "He’s a very competitive rider," he told the official WorldSBK website, "he has a lot to prove and to give. He’s exactly what we need in the box as well: he has a positive mindset, a positive attitude, even in tough moments. I think Brad is a good candidate for this. I hope we’ll continue to get along as in the past, create a good team environment, and carry the whole project forward."

Oliveira believes the South African rider is an excellent addition for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad team, which in 2027 will field an evolved M 1000 RR (the major change will be the frame) and expects both riders to be competitive. Binder is known for being a great braker, a quality that could serve him well with the German bike, given that Razgatlioglu was also incredibly strong under braking. But then it’s about being effective on corner entry, mid-corner, and exit: that’s where you need to make the difference like Toprak, which isn’t easy. BMW will show up with a technical package that’s certainly better than the current one, and we’ll need to understand the impact of the new Michelin tires.

As for Yamaha, there is hope that the 2027 updates will allow them to take a concrete step forward compared to a very disappointing 2026 Superbike season. Miller’s arrival from MotoGP is also seen as an opportunity to try to extract further potential from an aging R1.

Andrea Locatelli has already had the chance to work with Jackass in the last two editions of the Suzuka 8 Hours, so sharing the box with the Australian won’t be entirely new: "I think he can be a good teammate. He has a lot of experience, he comes from MotoGP, and I think he’s one of those riders who enjoy riding the bike. We worked together at Suzuka, so I already know him. I think we’ll push in the same direction to improve and take the bike to the highest level." We’ll see what happens.

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