The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team left Cremona without a top-five finish, but with clear signs that its recovery is under way. Miguel Oliveira ran fifth in Sunday’s second race before crashing out, while Danilo Petrucci fought his way forward in all three races on home soil. BMW Motorrad Motorsport says the performance of both BMW M 1000 RRs has improved since the difficult weekend at Magny-Cours three weeks ago.

The tenth round of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship at Cremona, Italy, ended without a headline result for BMW, yet the German manufacturer describes the weekend as an important step forward. After struggling at Magny-Cours in France, BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team say they have lifted the performance of both BMW M 1000 RRs once again.

A qualifying session decided by yellow flags

Saturday morning’s Superpole was disrupted repeatedly. Several riders crashed and the resulting yellow flags broke up the field’s attempts at a clean lap, leaving both factory BMW riders without consistently clear track. Oliveira ended the session ninth, Petrucci only 19th.

Iker Lecuona took pole for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati with a 1:27.253, described by BMW as a new all-time lap record at the circuit.

Three races, two different stories

In Saturday’s opening 23-lap race, Petrucci came home 14th for two points, while Oliveira was among the riders who slid out. Sunday morning’s ten-lap Superpole Race went rather better: Oliveira finished eighth to improve his grid slot for the day’s main event, and Petrucci recovered from his qualifying position to take 11th.

Race two looked like the weekend’s opportunity. Oliveira made a strong start and worked into the top five, only to crash at Turn 10. Petrucci again picked off rivals to finish 12th.

“With Miguel, we could have achieved top-five finishes if it had not been for the crashes,” said Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport. “Now we need to continue working on making sure that he can convert this into race results.”

Oliveira was blunt about the second race. “We had a really good pace and track position to achieve an excellent result. Unfortunately, in Turn 10, I took a little more rear brake, the bike started to chatter, and I couldn’t stay on top of it,” he said, adding that the team is nevertheless in better shape than it was after Magny-Cours.

For Petrucci, Cremona was his last home round of the season. “The race wasn’t the best, but I fought really, really hard. That’s what I enjoy,” he said.

Where BMW stands

The weekend also confirmed Ducati’s dominance: Nicolò Bulega secured the riders’ title early, a result Blusch congratulated before promising BMW would “give everything to make the championship exciting again next year”. Bulega leads the standings on 602 points from Lecuona on 469.

BMW sits fourth in the manufacturers’ classification with 151 points, behind Ducati (620), Bimota (268) and Yamaha (162), and just ahead of Kawasaki on 145. Oliveira is the leading BMW rider in 12th with 109 points, Petrucci 16th with 61 and Michael van der Mark 20th with 23.

Two rounds left

With 30 of 36 races run, BMW’s chance to consolidate the Cremona gains comes quickly. The championship heads to Estoril, Portugal — Oliveira’s home round — from 9 to 11 October, with the season finale at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, from 16 to 18 October.

Facts: Cremona WorldSBK round

  • Round: 10 of 12, 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship
  • Superpole: Oliveira 9th (1:28.001), Petrucci 19th (1:28.932)
  • Race 1 (23 laps): Petrucci 14th, Oliveira DNF
  • Superpole Race (10 laps): Oliveira 8th, Petrucci 11th
  • Race 2 (23 laps): Petrucci 12th, Oliveira DNF
  • Riders’ standings: Oliveira 12th (109 pts), Petrucci 16th (61 pts), van der Mark 20th (23 pts)
  • Manufacturers’ standings: BMW 4th, 151 pts
  • Next round: Estoril, Portugal, 9–11 October 2026

The season continues at Estoril from 9 to 11 October, before concluding at Jerez de la Frontera on 16–18 October.

Source: www.press.bmwgroup.com