Brad Binder will leave MotoGP at the end of the current campaign to join the factory BMW team in the Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) for the 2027 season, according to official announcements confirmed by BMW Motorrad Motorsport and reported by outlets including Kompas.com. The 30-year-old rider’s switch brings an end to a seven-year premier-class tenure with KTM.
Reunited with Miguel Oliveira at BMW
According to BMW, Binder will step into the seat vacated by Danilo Petrucci, who confirmed during the French round at Magny-Cours that he will not return to the factory squad next year. At BMW, Binder joins Miguel Oliveira, whose retention was announced a week prior to the French event. This lineup re-establishes a familiar pairing: Binder and Oliveira previously shared a garage through Moto3, Moto2, and MotoGP, last winning together as KTM teammates in 2022.
Pro Tip: Watch how team dynamics shift when longtime junior-class teammates reunite in a production-based championship like WorldSBK, where bike setup characteristics differ significantly from prototype machines.
From Moto3 Dominance to MotoGP History with KTM
Binder’s journey with the Austrian manufacturer began back in 2015 in the Moto3 class, where he immediately grabbed four podium finishes. According to championship records, his breakthrough arrived in 2016 during his fifth Moto3 season—and second with KTM—when he secured seven victories to claim the world title. Success followed in the intermediate class; after moving to Moto2 in 2017, Binder finished eighth in his debut year, took third overall in 2018 with three wins, and finished as the 2019 runner-up behind Alex Marquez with five victories.
That strong run earned him a promotion to KTM’s factory MotoGP squad for 2020. In just his third premier-class start, Binder delivered a historic result by winning the Czech Grand Prix at Brno. The victory marked both his maiden MotoGP win and the first-ever premier-class triumph for KTM. The following year, he captured a dramatic home win at the Red Bull Ring in Austria by staying out on slick tires as rain drenched the circuit on the final laps.
Handling Struggles and the Move to Superbike
Despite remaining a core pillar of KTM’s lineup through subsequent seasons—peaking with a fourth-place finish in the 2023 standings that featured two sprint race wins in Argentina and Jerez—Binder faced mounting consistency issues. According to team reports, he struggled to adapt to the new Michelin rear tire introduced in 2024, which blunted the effectiveness of his aggressive, heavy-braking natural riding style. Heading into the 2026 Misano round, Binder sits 13th in the standings with 78 points, serving as KTM’s third-highest ranked rider behind Pedro Acosta in sixth and Enea Bastianini in 12th.
BMW Motorrad Motorsport head Sven Blusch expressed high expectations for the incoming rider. “We are very pleased to welcome Brad into the family,” Blusch stated, as quoted by Crash.net and reported by Kompas.com. “The thing that was very impressive for us was his strong determination to start a new chapter in WorldSBK. His goal is clear, he wants to compete for the world championship title.”
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Brad Binder start racing for BMW?
Brad Binder joins the factory BMW team in WorldSBK for the 2027 season, after completing his final year with KTM in MotoGP.
/data/photo/2021/04/30/608bf4b0593c5.jpg "Photo: otomotif.kompas.com")
Who is Brad Binder’s teammate at BMW?
He will partner with Miguel Oliveira, reuniting a long-standing duo that previously raced together across Moto3, Moto2, and MotoGP.
Why is Brad Binder leaving MotoGP?
After seven seasons with KTM and difficulties adapting to revised Michelin rear tire characteristics introduced in 2024, Binder opted for a fresh challenge in the production-based World Superbike championship.
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