Brad heads to WorldSBK in 2027 with ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

It has been announced that Brad Binder will race for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team in 2027 as he re-unites with Miguel Oliveira. The South African rider has raced in MotoGP since 2020, exclusively with KTM, but will have a new challenge next season when he joins the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with BMW. He will take the place of Danilo Petrucci, who confirmed in France that he and BMW had made a mutual decision to not continue in WorldSBK next year.

Brad’s career on the world stage started in 2011 in the 125cc World Championship, before he raced full-time in Moto3 from 2012 until 2016. It was in his final season where the now 30-year-old really broke through, taking seven wins and 14 podiums as he dominated the season. That earnt him a seat in Moto2 and he was immediately a frontrunner, taking three rostrums. In 2018, he finished third in Moto2 and he backed that up with second in 2019, finishing with eight wins in the category.

In 2020, he made the step up to MotoGP with KTM, and was a race winner in his third race when he won the Czech Grand Prix. He was a winner again in 2021 at the Austrian Grand Prix from tenth on the grid when he braved it out on slick tyres as rain soaked the track. That remains his last win to date, while his last podium was at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix.

Brad will move over to WorldSBK for an all-new challenge next year, although he will have some familiarity next to him – he’ll be re-united with Oliveira inside the BMW box. The pair were teammates at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in 2021 and 2022, Red Bull KTM Ajo in Moto2 between 2017 and 2018 and Andalucia Banca Civica in the 125cc World Championship in 2011.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport, said: “We are delighted to welcome Brad to the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family. What particularly impresses us is his absolute determination to start a new chapter in WorldSBK. His goal is clear: he wants to fight for the World Championship title. First of all, he will need to get accustomed to the BMW M 1000 RR and to a new World Championship, and we are confident that he will do so quickly. With Brad and Miguel, two former teammates are reunited who complement each other perfectly, both in terms of their personalities and their riding styles. This combination has great potential.”

Source: WorldSBK.com