OLIVEIRA EYES BMW PROGRESS AS GONSCHOR EXPECTS BINDER TO BE FAST IN 2027

Miguel Oliveira hopes BMW’s latest development work will help bring its 2027 World Superbike machine closer to Ducati, as the German manufacturer prepares for a major change in both its line-up and the championship’s technical landscape.

Brad Binder will join BMW for the 2027 campaign, switching from his KTM prototype and reuniting with former teammate Oliveira. The South African will be moving from MotoGP to production-based racing, and BMW sporting director Chris Gonschor expects him to adapt quickly. “I’m sure he’ll be fast,” Gonschor told GPOne.

The Portuguese rider moved to the team after leaving Pramac Racing at the end of the 2025 MotoGP season. BMW will be looking to recapture the title-winning form it enjoyed with Toprak Razgatlioglu, while Ducati has been the dominant force in the current WorldSBK campaign, led by Nicolo Bulega.

The 2027 season is expected to bring significant uncertainty. WorldSBK will introduce Michelin tyres in place of Pirelli, alongside changes involving brakes and other technical elements. Gonschor noted that the new machinery and regulations will affect manufacturers as well as incoming riders. Both Oliveira and Binder have experience with Michelin tyres from MotoGP, which may offer a useful starting point, although he cautioned that the two categories’ tyres cannot be directly compared. “Some general sensations may be familiar. This could help them adapt,” he said.

Oliveira believes the changes could alter the competitive order and give BMW an opportunity to reduce the gap. “When you introduce big variables like brakes and new tyres, you’re clearly entering uncharted territory, and it becomes very difficult to make predictions,” he told Motosprint. “But at the same time, every step we’ve made on the bike can help us close the gap that separates us from Ducati in 2027.”

He added that he hopes the changes will bring the field closer together, creating more competitive racing: “I hope that next season will see the bikes closer together in terms of performance, not only to see us at the top but also to see more exciting races with plenty of fighting for every position.”

BMW technical director Gonschor said the team’s early findings from its 2027-spec bike are encouraging, although he cautioned that the full impact of the changes remains unclear. Fuel-flow limits have had an effect, he said, but have not been sufficient on their own. The team is also discussing engine revs for 2027, a season that will see new bikes, incoming riders and a new tyre supplier.

Gonschor said it is too early to know whether BMW’s new chassis will be able to match Ducati, but the initial signs are not discouraging. “At the moment it seems that all the new features aren’t a negative for our bike,” he said.