Superbike, Petrucci has figured it out: he can’t copy Razgatlioglu on the BMW

He is not yet completely comfortable with the BMW, but Petrucci hopes to improve from Assen onwards: he wants to get back to fighting for Superbike podiums.

The start of the 2026 season has not been easy for Danilo Petrucci, who is adapting to the M 1000 RR, a bike quite different from the Ducati Panigale V4 R he raced in recent years. In the last SBK round at Portimão, his teammate Miguel Oliveira scored three podiums, while the Italian’s results across the three races were as follows: tenth, twelfth, seventh. This weekend the series heads to the TT Circuit Assen , a very different track and perhaps not one of the best for BMW.

Petrux is working closely with the team to find a path that allows him to be competitive. Looking at what Toprak Razgatlioglu has done over the past two years is not of great help: "He is the benchmark because he is the world champion and he has ridden this bike in a way no one else ever has," the Umbrian rider told Speedweek. "But maybe that was also the problem, because every rider has their own style. I can’t copy exactly what Oliveira does, even if he doesn’t ride as extremely as Toprak. Every rider is different and must be able to exploit their own strengths."

Petrucci admitted he tried to imitate what Razgatlioglu did with the BMW M 1000 RR, but it didn’t prove to be the right choice: "My approach was to ride similarly to Toprak. But it didn’t help me much because I wasn’t doing what Toprak was doing, nor what I’m capable of. After Portimão, I had long discussions and now I believe we can improve. We know we can fight for the podium; so far I haven’t achieved the results I expected."

Razgatlioglu has shown himself to be a phenomenon in the Superbike World Championship, and what he has done is not easily replicable. Looking at the data can provide some insights, but Petrucci has understood he cannot copy the Turkish champion. In his view, he can’t copy Oliveira either; he is trying to identify his own path. We’ll see if there is progress at Assen.

The fact that the rider from Terni has struggled a bit with the M 1000 RR is not surprising, also because heavily weather-affected pre-season tests did not allow him to work enough to adapt to all the novelties. Oliveira has done a bit better, especially in “his” Portugal, but the season is long and we expect that Petrux will also be able to rise to the level of his teammate. The two also have an excellent relationship; there’s a great atmosphere in the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team garage.