BMW looks to the recent past in first post-Razgatlioglu WorldSBK season

The 2026 WorldSBK BMW M1000 RR has broken cover for the first time as the Bavarian manufacturer prepares to enter its first season following the departure of Toprak Razgatlioglu.

Despite only riding for two seasons with BMW, Razgatlioglu’s importance to the brand became substantial. In 2024 he became the first BMW rider to win the WorldSBK title, and he defended that crown in 2025. In the time he was there, Razgatlioglu won 39 races, while his teammate Michael van der Mark won only one, which came in the wet at Magny-Cours in 2024.

Razgatlioglu’s departure for MotoGP in 2026 leaves an almost unfillable hole at BMW, but the German factory has employed the services of Danilo Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira to try to do that. It has also reverted to a more traditional-looking livery with a smattering of white returning to the fairing after a couple of years with predominantly black paint schemes.

Both have previous experience in MotoGP, but Petrucci is the more experienced Superbike rider having moved to MotoAmerica in 2022 before debuting in WorldSBK in 2023 with the Barni Ducati team, going on to win three races at Cremona in 2024. 

“I’m so happy and proud to join the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team,” said Petrucci. It’s the team that has won the last championships and I’m so proud to be part of it. 

“I can’t wait to race with this bike. We did a few tests, and in rainy conditions the situation is really good. We need to spend some time more in the dry because we didn’t have so much time in such conditions yet. 

“For sure there is a lot of expectation but mainly I want to enjoy. I don’t have any particular result in mind. I just want to be as fast as I can and improve the results of my previous season.”

For Oliveira, 2026 will be his rookie year in WorldSBK after 12 years in the grand prix paddock.

“I’m excited for sure,” the Portuguese rider said. 

“I don’t know really what to expect. I know it‘s going to be a difficult, competitive environment through the whole grid. 

“So my goal is to be up to that challenge and be as ready as I can to fight for top positions and make my adaptation as fast as possible, especially to have fun and to make the team enjoy the races.”

As for van der Mark, who joined BMW in 2021 from Yamaha, a move to BMW’s WorldSBK test team has been combined with a ride in the manufacturer’s factory Endurance World Championship team where he will ride alongside Markus Reiterberger and Steven Odendaak, replacing Sylvain Guintoli who will ride for the Japanese Auto Ube team instead.

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