Brad Binder will make his World Superbike Championship debut next year after signing for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad team.
The South African re-unites with former Red Bull KTM teammate Miguel Oliveira, who has extended his stay with the German manufacturer after making his own WorldSBK debut this season.
Binder departs MotoGP after losing his KTM ride, with Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio set to represent the Austrian manufacturer in the factory team. Binder’s current teammate Pedro Acosta moves to Ducati to partner Marc Marquez in 2027.
Miguel Oliveira has an important announcement to make… …and it’s a big one. 👀 Welcome to the team, Brad Binder! 🤝🏼 #MakeLifeARide #BMWMotorrad #WorldSBK @BMWMotorradMoSp pic.twitter.com/BddujSyiDZ
“We are delighted to welcome Brad to the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family,” Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport said. “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.”
Binder won the Moto3 title with KTM in 2016, before finishing third and second in Moto2 in 2018 and 2019 respectfully, again within the KTM setup.
He then moved to the premier class in 2020 and made history in only his third race by winning the Czech Grand Prix at Brno. Binder became the first-ever South African MotoGP race winner, and the first rookie to win a race since Marc Marquez in 2013. His triumph also signalled the first victory for KTM since they joined MotoGP in 2017.
Binder won again at KTM’s home round [Red Bull Ring] in 2021 after staying out on dry tyres in the pouring rain.
His best overall campaign came in 2023 when Binder finished fourth in the championship and the best-placed non-Ducati rider. That season Binder won three Sprint races and celebrated five GP podiums.
Binder takes the seat currently held by Danilo Petrucci, but BMW appear keen to keep working with the Italian in some capacity.
“At the same time, we would like to thank Danilo for his tremendous commitment,” Blusch continues. “Together, we want to finish the current season strongly and are working towards a future together in other projects.”
Binder is the second MotoGP rider to be confirmed as a 2027 WorldSBK contender following J ack Miller’s move to Yamaha . Franco Morbidelli has been linked with Aruba.It Racing Ducati, with Nicolo Bulega’s move to the VR46 Ducati team now confirmed.
Sports Reporter - Motorcycle racing enthusiast Josh joined the MCN team in 2019. He studied Sports Journalism at the University of Sunderland, leaving with a 2:1 and a Gold Standard Diploma in Journalism from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). Introduced to the world of motorcycle racing by his dad as a youngster, Josh became a fan of MotoGP, WorldSBK and BSB. Like many, Josh became a huge Valentino Rossi supporter…little did he know that years later he would ask a question or two to the man himself.
Sports Reporter and fan of all things motorsport