Rory Skinner “not too fussed” by yet another bike change for BSB 2027

Rory Skinner will change bikes yet again in BSB 2027, after already changing bikes in each of the last five seasons.

The only point in which Skinner has stayed on the same machinery from one season to the next in the 2020s was when he remained with FS-3 Kawasaki in 2022 after stepping up to BSB with the team in 2021 following his British Supersport title win in 2020.

Since then, he raced Moto2 in 2023, then BMW on his return to BSB in 2024, Ducati in 2025, and Yamaha in 2026.

BMW is a brand he has experience with, then, but it’s still a change of bike and this time it comes with a change in team, as he leaves TAS Racing and joins the Scars Racing team, which will be BMW’s official squad in BSB next year after winning this season’s British Supersport title with Luke Stapleford on a Ducati Panigale V2.

By now, Skinner is used to changing bikes, and his performance on the Yamaha this year, in which he out-performed Danny Kent who had much more experience on the R1, gives the Scot confidence ahead of 2027’s change.

“With the whole ‘another year, another bike’ thing, I’m not too fussed to be honest because, even if I look at it from this year, my teammate [Danny Kent] had been on the Yamaha for three years and straight out of the box I was competitive with him, if not faster,” said Skinner, speaking to MCN after the announcement of his Scars BMW deal.

“I don’t think jumping on a new bike is too much of an issue. Obviously it’d be nice to stay on the same bike for more than one year, but at least this time we’re going to a bike that I’ve ridden before.”

Skinner is also expecting the BMW of 2027 to be steps ahead of the bike he rode in 2024, which he adds that he “never disliked”.

“I think BMW have made some progress with it since I last rode the bike, and I think it’ll be a case of just trying to get stuck in with it and see what we can do,” he said.

“Dale [McElveen] and Lee [Finlay] at Scars Racing are putting a lot of effort in. They’re working really hard to make sure we have a good winter and put something really strong together so we can hit the ground running at the start of the season.

Skinner added: “I never disliked the bike, and I quite enjoyed it the whole time; I thought it had plenty of potential, but we just never managed to get going with it.

“We had the injuries, and it was a new bike to me, my crew chief and to a lot of the team. We came out of the season with a victory and a podium, but unfortunately I also broke my leg.

“So, I think the bike had more potential than what we showed and, honestly, I’d have been happy to stay with it for another year as I feel we could have made another step.”

BSB’s technical regulations are being overhauled for next year, with a power cap and the reintroduction of electronic rider aids like traction control, which Skinner thinks will play to BMW’s strengths.

“I think if there’s going to be a year to jump back on the BMW, this is it with the new regulations,” Skinner said.

“You look at what the bike does in Superstock with the electronic package that they have, and with the introduction of traction and wheelie control into superbikes again, this should play into the bike’s strong points.

“It’s going to be new for everybody so we’re not really sure where anybody will be, but I think it’ll be pretty good.”