Brad Binder is expected to join Miguel Oliveira as BMW’s WorldSBK pairing for 2027. Oliveira believes the South African brings the competitive drive and personal approach the team needs to move its project forward. Speaking to WorldSBK.com, in comments reported by Crash.net, Oliveira described Binder as a highly competitive rider who still has plenty to show and give.

Their partnership would not begin from scratch. Binder and Oliveira have already been teammates at all three levels of the MotoGP paddock, including at KTM’s factory team in 2021 and 2022. That period also brought KTM Oliveira’s 2022 victory in Thailand. It remained the Austrian manufacturer’s most recent premier-class win before Pedro Acosta’s victory at Spielberg.

BMW needs a response

Binder’s expected move comes as BMW searches for a way to recover ground against Ducati in WorldSBK. The M 1000 RR was not in contention for a top-ten place at Magny-Cours, despite BMW winning all three races at the circuit in 2025 with Toprak Razgatlioglu. BMW had tested at Magny-Cours before the event and had also carried out testing at Donington, but it finished outside the top ten there as well.

Before the next round at Cremona, Oliveira said BMW had an idea about what had made Magny-Cours so difficult, while acknowledging that the explanation could not yet be fully confirmed. His immediate aim was to establish a productive baseline from FP1 and find a competitive package for the rest of the weekend. He also sees Binder’s competitiveness, positive mindset and ability to keep pushing through difficult periods as qualities that could help BMW develop the project and create a strong working environment in the garage.