BMW presents 2026 M 1000 RR and International racing programs

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WorldSBK and FIM EWC 2026

BMW

BMW enters 2026 with a clearer, more unified racing strategy than at any point since its modern return to elite-level production racing. The M 1000 RR now sits at the centre of a global programme that spans WorldSBK, World Endurance, and key customer racing markets.

In WorldSBK, BMW arrives as the defending benchmark when Turkish star Toprak Razgatlioglu was in the hot seat. Consecutive world titles have established the M 1000 RR as a very strong Superbike package, particularly over race distance.

For 2026, the focus shifts from defending with continuity to rebuilding with intent, following a full reset of the factory rider line-up and the departure of some big shoes…

Sven Blusch – Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport

“After the two world championship titles in 2024 and 2025, our full focus is now on continuing this momentum. On the WorldSBK side, we are perfectly positioned. With Danilo Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira, we have brought on board two experienced top riders, whom we’ve already had the chance to get to know a little over the winter. We head to Australia with a very good feeling. Although we had a lot of rain during testing and would have liked a few more laps, we are already looking forward to Phillip Island. In the FIM EWC, after last year’s dramatic season finale, we are even more determined to win the title. With the addition of Michael van der Mark to the team, alongside Steven Odendaal and Markus Reiterberger on bike #37, we are very well positioned for the mission of winning the championship. Over the winter, we prepared intensively, both operationally and technically. In customer racing, our goal for 2026 is to further internationalise. Among the further BMW-supported teams in the FIM EWC is also the AutoRace Ube Racing Team, our Official Team from Japan, which has very strong riders in Sylvain Guintoli, Hannes Soomer, and Naomichi Uramoto. With the Orange Cat Racing Team, we have a new Official Team for the USA, which will field two bikes in the MotoAmerica Superbike class, featuring two young, talented riders: Sean Dylan Kelly and Jayson Uribe. Here, our goal as BMW is to defend the title. In the BSB and Road Racing, our Official Team from the UK, 8TEN Racing with Peter Hickman and Davey Todd, will compete. This is also an incredibly strong rider combination. We hope for good results in the BSB and keep our fingers crossed for the Isle of Man TT and other road races, where the two are among the absolute favourites. Overall, it is important for us to strengthen international motorsport in customer racing. With this lineup, we are heading into the 2026 season highly motivated – it embodies our ambition, our drive, and our determination to go full throttle from the very first race.”

Danilo Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira bring different strengths but similar experience.

Shaun Muir – Team Principal ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

“We are really looking forward to the 2026 season. We have a new set of goals, a new set of targets with our two new riders Danilo and Miguel. It’s really exciting to start the new chapter of the World Superbike programme with BMW Motorrad and our sponsors. I think the expectation is really high also, finishing as World Champions for the last two years, and we’re really determined to give the riders the best tools we possibly can to reach the podium as soon as possible. I think that when we get into Europe from round two, three onwards, we’ll really start to see the true potential of the rider/bike combinations so we’re looking forward to that. Most important is that we give Danilo and Miguel the full support and show how determined we are to continue the good work that we’ve done in the past. We believe that the BMW M 1000 RR is going to grow as a package in the coming months and the proof of that will be the performances that both the riders give us on track. So I’m looking forward to the season – we can take the fight to the competition.”

Petrucci has already demonstrated he can win races and sustain championship momentum on a BMW from a privateer platform.

Danilo Petrucci – ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

“I’m so happy and proud to join the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. 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.”

Oliveira arrives from MotoGP with a reputation for adaptability and race intelligence, rather than immediate, outright aggression.

Miguel Oliveira – ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

“I’m excited for sure. 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.”

Early testing has been compromised by weather, but BMW’s confidence appears rooted in the M 1000 RR’s maturity. The bike’s stability under braking, tyre management and electronics platform have reached a point where rider adaptation is expected to happen faster than in previous seasons.

Christian Gonschor – Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport

“2026 will be an exciting year of motorsport for BMW Motorrad Motorsport, with clear goals and focus. The mix of new riders and technicians, along with our already strong race teams, partners, and sponsors, makes us eager for more. Everyone is looking forward to the season opener in all relevant classes. The limited dry-weather testing opportunities for our Superbike World Championship team only fuel the ambition of the riders and the team even more. When time is limited, passion and self-confidence help. Danilo and Miguel feel the unwavering commitment of everyone in the team and inspire with their determination, great personalities, and incredible experience. Representing BMW Motorrad Motorsport on the podium regularly with both riders is the clear goal for 2026. Standing still is falling behind, so the wheel will keep turning in both the test team and our Munich headquarters. The riders can look forward to continuous development. In the Endurance World Championship, the benchmark is clear: to finally bring the 2025 world title, narrowly missed at the end, back to Munich. A bike further optimised for the championship and tyres, together with the strengthened rider lineup including Michael van der Mark, offers outstanding opportunities for successful 24-hour races and excellent results in the eight-hour races at Spa and Suzuka. The desire to make history as the first European manufacturer in the EWC 2026 is the ultimate motivation for everyone in the team. We’re ready to go.”

Where WorldSBK is about maintaining supremacy, BMW’s approach to the FIM Endurance World Championship is more overtly unfinished business.

The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team came within minutes of the 2025 title, only to lose it at the Bol d’Or through a late technical failure. For 2026, the structure remains largely intact, but the addition of Michael van der Mark adds proven Superbike pace and technical feedback into an already cohesive endurance squad.

Werner Daemen – Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team

“We expect that we go in the same way that we ended 2025 – except of course the last 25 minutes, because the rest of 2025 was really good. I think we have a very good bike and very strong riders with Markus, Steven, now Michael van der Mark and Hannes as fourth rider. I think we have one goal which is for going for the championship. At the moment, all suits well. We are well prepared from the technical side and testing starts from February on. I expect that we’re running in front and, okay, you need some luck. I also think when we have the luck on our side, we can go again for the world title. This year, we also do the EuroMoto, the new IDM class, where Markus and Hannes can prepare themselves for the World Championship. Steven Odendaal will do the ESBK on the stock BMW – so I think we will be very well prepared for the season.”

The objective is unambiguous: convert near-misses into a championship. BMW believes the current M 1000 RR endurance package is strong enough across both eight-hour and 24-hour formats, provided execution matches preparation. Suzuka, Spa and Le Mans are no longer targets of opportunity but expected battlegrounds.

Crucially, BMW’s endurance effort feeds directly back into its Superbike programme. Van der Mark’s dual role as EWC rider and WorldSBK test rider underlines how tightly integrated the programmes have become.

Michael van der Mark – BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team

“I am honestly looking forward to it. I had a nice experience with them last year at Suzuka and I really enjoyed working with Steven and Markus and we’re a nice team. It’s great to know the team already and I think it’s pretty clear that we have one goal and that’s to win the Endurance World Championship. They were so close last year but unfortunately it’s part of endurance racing. I’m looking forward to trying and helping them to get a world title. I will also be in the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team. We’re doing a lot of testing work before getting the parts over to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and also to the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. It’s a different kind of job, but also really enjoyable. Sometimes it’s a lot of work, and I am really enjoying it as well. It’s great to stay with the BMW Motorsport family and I might be busy during the year.”

Beyond factory racing, BMW’s customer strategy in 2026 reflects measured internationalisation rather than volume. Orange Cat Racing’s step into MotoAmerica Superbike, 8TEN Racing’s continued Road Racing and BSB assault, and AutoRace Ube Racing’s dual domestic and endurance commitments reinforce the M 1000 RR’s versatility without diluting factory focus.

Davey Todd – 8TEN Racing

“I’m really looking forward to 2026. It’s going to be another fun year with our 8TEN Racing team. We’ve been working on everything and have had a little bit more time this year to prepare, which is what we’re doing right now. Spending some time preparing is exactly what we didn’t have at the beginning of 2025, and we still finished with some very good results at the end of the year. So we know we can come into 2026 and improve across all areas, particularly on circuits and at BSB. We think we can make some steps there and then go into the roads, the North West, the TT, the Southern 100, for myself and the Macau Grand Prix. I’m really looking forward to all the road races as always. I want to win more races like we did last year. Becoming king of the roads again for the third time for me in 2025: I want to keep that going. Most importantly, taking TT wins, which I know for sure my teammate’s going to be amongst the toughest competition there. We’re really looking forward to it. As we did at Macau last year, we’re hoping for a lot of one-twos this season.”

Peter Hickman – 8TEN Racing

“We’re actually really looking forward to the 2026 season. Obviously, last year was almost a rushed year for us, one way or another, and of course, I had a big injury as well. So for 2026, we are much, much more prepared as a team. Both Davey and I have got much more of a handle on what‘s actually going on, and the team’s working really, really well. We’re happy with the bikes, we’re happy with everything for the season. We have a full British Superbike season to look forward to, as well as the North West 200, the Isle of Man TT, and maybe even one or two other races as well. Obviously, we did Macau last year, where we finished one and two. Overall, last year was more of a building year, as it ended up having to be, and then this year we can really kind of hit the ground running, much, much more prepared and really looking forward to it.”

While BMW previously figured prominently in Australian Superbike competition, its numbers in ASBK have dwindled markedly over recent seasons, and again, no front-runners will be on the German brand in 2026.

In WorldSBK, the task is to prove the bike wins regardless of rider change. In endurance racing, it is to turn performance into titles. Both hinge on the same platform, the same development philosophy, and increasingly, the same people.

Next stop Portimão

The BMW WorldSBK squad will be at Portimão this week for the final European pre-season test before travelling to Australia. A final official test at Phillip Island on February 16–17 will precede the opening round of the 2026 WorldSBK season from February 20–22.

BMW M 1000 RR WorldSBK

2026 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship calendar


……Date…….	Country	Circuit	WorldSBK	WorldSSP	WorldSPB
20-22 Feb	AUS	Phillip Island GP	X	X
27-29 Mar	POR	Algarve Int’l	X	X	X
17-19 Apr	NED	TT Assen	X	X	X
1-3 May	HUN	Balaton Park	X	X
15-17 May	CZE	Most	X	X	X
29-31 May	ESP	MotorLand Aragon	X	X	X
12-14 Jun	ITA	Misano – Marco Simoncelli	X	X	X
10-12 Jul	UK	Donington Park	X	X
4-6 Sep	FRA	Nevers Magny-Cours	X	X	X
25-27 Sep	ITA	Cremona	X	X	X
9-11 Oct	POR	Estoril	X	X
16-18 Oct	ESP	Jerez – Angel Nieto*	X	X	X

2026 World Superbike Championship Entry List


Rider	Bike	Team
I.Lecuona	Duc	Aruba.It Ducati
N.Bulega	Duc	Aruba.It Ducati
D.Petrucci	BMW	ROKiT BMW Motorrad
M.Oliveira	BMW	ROKiT BMW Motorrad
A.Locatelli	Yam	Pata Maxus Yamaha
X.Vierge	Yam	Pata Maxus Yamaha
Y.Montella	Duc	Barni Spark
A.Bautista	Duc	Barni Spark
A.Lowes	Bim	bimota by Kawasaki
A.Bassani	Bim	bimota by Kawasaki
S.Chantra	Hon	Honda HRC
J.Dixon	Hon	Honda HRC
S.Manzi	Yam	GYTR GRT Yamaha
R.Gardner	Yam	GYTR GRT Yamaha
S.Lowes	Duc	ELF Marc VDS
L.Baldassarri	Duc	Goeleven
T.Mackenzie	Duc	MGM Racing
G.Gerloff	Kaw	Kawasaki WorldSBK
A.Surra	Duc	Motocorsa
M.Rato	Yam	Motoxracing
B.Sofuoglu	Yam	Motoxracing
A.Iannone	Duc	Cainam Racing