Superbike, double disappointment for BMW: Oliveira throws it away in WorldSBK, Kelly loses the MotoAmerica title

The German manufacturer has gone through tough days both in Italy and in the United States: while there were some signs of growth in Cremona, the disappointment in New Jersey was more unexpected.

On the weekend that delivered the 2026 Superbike World Championship title to Nicolò Bulega and Ducati, there were no positive results for BMW at the Cremona Circuit. The potential looked decent at least with Miguel Oliveira, who crashed in Race 1 while in tenth place and then again in Race 2 while running fifth. In between, ninth place in the Superpole Race confirmed his grid slot for the final heat.

Compared to the rounds at Donington Park and Magny-Cours, the Portuguese rider certainly showed a bit more with the M 1000 RR, even if he couldn’t capitalize. Danilo Petrucci’s major struggles were confirmed: fourteenth, eleventh, and twelfth in the three races of the Italian weekend, respectively. The rider from Terni is seriously at risk of ending his WorldSBK stint on a very sour note.

Oliveira threw away two potentially good finishes and is very bitter about the mistakes made, while trying to see the glass half full represented by the improvements compared to the past Superbike rounds: "Cremona is a tough pill to swallow, especially Race 2. We had a great pace and good track position to achieve an excellent result: unfortunately, at Turn 10, I applied a bit more rear brake, the bike started to chatter and I couldn’t control it. It’s frustrating, but I think we’re in a better place than after Magny-Cours, so that’s already positive."

The next round will be in Portugal, at Estoril, giving Oliveira another chance to race in front of many of his fans. He did brilliantly at Portimão, taking three podiums (three times third) over the weekend. His hope is to repeat that, also leveraging the data gathered during the test that the ROKiT BMW team carried out at Estoril in August.

Sven Blusch, head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport, is also trying to focus on the positives from the Cremona Circuit: "At Cremona we found the right path again and the weekend gives us reason to be optimistic. With Miguel we could have scored top-five finishes if it hadn’t been for the crashes. Now we have to keep working so he can turn this potential into race results. Danilo is also moving in the right direction, even if we’re not yet where we want to be. We know there’s a lot of work to do."

WorldSBK needs a strong BMW to make the races more exciting and, after the two titles won with Toprak Razgatlioglu, it has certainly been disappointing to witness a 2026 with few positive moments. Oliveira has shown better adaptation to the M 1000 RR, delivering four podiums, while Petrucci has not been able to remain as competitive as when he was riding the Barni Spark team’s Ducati Panigale V4 R.

If in Italy it’s not all to throw away, despite the disappointing final results, a very negative piece of news arrived from the United States for BMW: Sean Dylan Kelly lost the MotoAmerica Superbike title. The 24-year-old from the OrangeCat Racing BMW team arrived at New Jersey Motorsports Park as the leader of the overall standings with a 26-point lead over Bobby Fong and could not clinch the crown.

The rider from Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing won Race 1 and Race 2, cutting Kelly’s lead to just 2 points, with Kelly twice finishing fourth and forced to respond in Race 3 to avoid a sting that, instead, arrived. On the wet Thunderbolt Circuit, the championship leader crashed on lap four after losing control of his BMW M 1000 RR. He was third and pushing to catch Fong and Scholtz, first and second respectively.

Once his rival crashed, Fong slowed and avoided taking risks: by finishing fourth he was able to celebrate the 2026 MotoAmerica Superbike title at New Jersey Motorsports Park. A harsh blow for Kelly and the OrangeCat Racing BMW team, who had envisioned a different ending after an excellent season.

The major disappointment will surely fuel a desire for redemption in 2027, when Petrucci could join the garage, as he is currently in talks with BMW about a possible return to MotoAmerica. The rider from Terni was present at the penultimate round in Austin and also rode OrangeCat’s M 1000 RR during a track day. Nothing has been signed; we’ll soon know whether Petrux will be part of the project.