Superbike: It's not over yet between Petrucci and BMW; new scenario for 2027

The rider from Terni confirms he will leave his current team at the end of the 2026 SBK season, but his future is still unclear. In the meantime, he wants to finish the current campaign in the best possible way.

Today the ROKiT BMW Motorrad team officially announced the renewal of Miguel Oliveira, while Danilo Petrucci is set to move on. If the Portuguese rider managed to claim four podiums and deliver some convincing performances, the Italian has not had a real breakthrough so far.

It’s worth remembering that he suffered a serious injury in the Most round and only returned to racing at Donington Park. His experience with the M 1000 RR has been heavily affected by physical issues, and he hasn’t had the chance to show his full potential. Oliveira himself also suffered an injury that kept him out for several rounds, but in his case the team made a different evaluation and decided to renew his contract.

At Magny-Cours, the former Barni Spark Racing Team rider confirmed that he will not continue his adventure with the current squad, but he did not rule out still racing for the German brand elsewhere: "BMW and I have decided together not to continue in WorldSBK next year. We would both like to carry on together, perhaps in another role or championship, but it’s still too early to know. It was a mutual decision. We both gave it our all, and that led us to say we can’t continue together."

Petrucci on a BMW is a possible scenario for 2027, but there are no concrete plans yet and time will be needed to understand what might happen: "I don’t know if I’m too old or not—explains the rider from Terni—but it’s time to start thinking about it. Especially this year, I spent a lot of energy and sacrificed a lot, and in return I only got a few good results, many crashes, and a serious injury. It was hard to swallow. Honestly, I’m not looking around too much. I want to give priority to BMW because they helped me a lot; I want to understand their plan and assess it."

There had been rumors about a possible return to the Barni Spark Racing Team, but it seems they have chosen Xavi Vierge to replace Alvaro Bautista in 2027. Other interesting Superbike seats don’t appear to be available for him. BMW is involved in multiple championships and could find him an exciting placement. It’s natural to think of the Endurance World Championship, though a surprise could also emerge.

During the long summer break, the ROKiT BMW Motorrad team carried out two tests, one at Magny-Cours itself and the other at Estoril. They should help Petrux and Oliveira: "In the test we did here in August it was very hot, the track was at 60°C, it was tough. We tried some setup-related things, not new parts. I hope it will be less hot this weekend. I think this is a good track for our bike, because there are several braking zones. I like it. We’ll see if the test has brought us a bit of speed."

In the past, Magny-Cours has been an excellent track for the BMW M 1000 RR, so it’s normal for there to be confidence in the garage heading into this ninth round of the 2026 Superbike calendar. Petrucci would very much like to notch some good results before leaving the current team, which in 2027 will welcome Brad Binder, currently competing in MotoGP with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team.

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