ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team falls short of its own expectations

Magny-Cours. The summer break in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) is over. The ninth race weekend at Magny-Cours (FRA) marked the start of the final third of the season. Following a promising test at the same venue in August, BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team travelled to France with optimism. However, the race weekend proved difficult, with riders Danilo Petrucci (ITA) and Miguel Oliveira (POR) having to fight hard for positions and points.

Unlike at the test during the summer break, the team was unable fully exploit the potential and to bring the BMW M 1000 RR into the optimal performance window. After Petrucci qualified 18th and Oliveira 19th in the Superpole qualifying session, the team worked intensively to find more performance. However, the hoped-for major step forward failed to materialise. In the first feature race on Saturday afternoon, which had to be restarted following a red flag, Petrucci finished 13th. Oliveira retired after a crash in the first part of the race.

In preparation for Sunday, the entire team continued to work hard and was able to make progress. In the short Superpole race, Oliveira gained seven positions to finish 12th. Petrucci came home in 16th. Both riders had to start the second feature race from the rear of the grid again, and once more managed to work their way further forward. This time, Petrucci finished 12th. Oliveira crossed the finish line directly behind him, however was subsequently handed a penalty for cutting Turn 6 and was classified 15th.

The team and BMW Motorrad Motorsport in Munich will now begin preparations for Cremona (ITA), conducting intensive analyses of the information gathered in France. The tenth race weekend of the 2026 season will take place there from 25th to 27th September.

Reactions after the Magny-Cours round.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “We had a positive test here at Magny-Cours, where we made progress. However, we were unable to carry that potential into the race weekend. We now need to analyse how we can do a better job of this. The goal is also to regain the momentum we had at the beginning of the season before both our riders suffered their injuries. My thanks go to Danilo and Miguel, who really gave everything this weekend. Especially in difficult times, it is important to stand together as a team. Everyone is working hard, and together we will get back to where we want to be.”

Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “Unfortunately, we were unable to carry the strong pace from the test into the race weekend. The significantly lower track temperatures affected the grip level more than expected. The team and the riders did everything they could to adapt the bikes to these conditions, but we now need to analyse how we can respond better to such changes in conditions in the future. Another factor was the very unfortunate Superpole session. That had an extremely negative impact on the rest of the weekend, as it is even more difficult to make progress from those starting positions. Our pace was better, especially on Sunday – but the road to the front was a long one. The conclusion is that the results reflect neither the potential of the bike nor that of the riders. Our focus is on turning things around and coming back to Cremona ready to fight at full strength.”

Danilo Petrucci, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I’m happy about race two. As I told the guys, it’s a pity that we’re working so hard, really giving everything and then just finish in P12 – that is not the position where we want to be. But the crew believes in me, I trust the crew, and we’re working extremely hard. I really gave my best, especially in race two. The pace wasn’t bad, and in the end we were able to score points in both long races. It’s hard to say I’m enjoying it, but at least my pace was quite consistent. That keeps me motivated for Cremona.”

Miguel Oliveira, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “The Magny-Cours weekend was probably one of the toughest of the season so far. We were searching for performance, pure speed and pace. We found it a little bit back in the Superpole race, but in the afternoon it became a bit trickier with the slight change of conditions. The good thing is that the team reacted well. We work together and try to push forward. This is what we will keep doing heading to Cremona. We know there’s a lot of work to do, we don’t deny that, and we’ll take the challenge onwards.”

Facts and figures.

Superpole.

Air temperature: 23°, track temperature: 30°, humidity: 68%, conditions: dry.

* New all-time lap record

Race 1.

Air temperature: 28°, track temperature: 39°, humidity: 51%, conditions: dry, laps: 12 (after red flag).

Fastest race lap: Nicolò Bulega, lap 3, 1:35.030 (new record)

Superpole Race.

Air temperature: 23°, track temperature: 29°, humidity: 52%, conditions: dry, laps: 10.

Fastest race lap: Nicolò Bulega, lap 5, 1:34.750 (new record)

Race 2.

Air temperature: 29°, track temperature: 38°, humidity: 45%, conditions: dry, laps: 19 (red flag).

Fastest race lap: Nicolò Bulega, lap 4, 1:35.159

Current riders’ classification (R09/12, after 27 of 36 races).

Current manufacturers’ classification (R09/12, after 27 of 36 races).

Michael Le Pard

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