Van der Mark to replace injured Oliveira as BMW introduce technical upgrades
Once again, after the domination shown in Australia, Portugal and the Netherlands, we can only sit back and wonder how Nicolo Bulega can win at will, and how riders not on Ducatis are finding any kind of consistency an impossibly capricious characteristic.
Bulega’s stone-cold perfect start to 2026 has seen him score all three wins at the opening four rounds, giving him 12 in succession to start the year. It is no surprise that people at Balaton were speaking about Bulega winning every race this year, although this is not something any experienced race-watcher can truly, really imagine. But it seems certain now that Bulega really could win every race, at any track, having won everything so far at four very different layouts.
If anything, Bulega’s closest challenger is increasingly becoming his own new Aruba.it Racing Ducati team-mate, Iker Lecuona, who is now so confident in his bike he sees saving slides that led to near-crashes in practice as a positive thing.
“Two saves, but they gave me extra confidence because I can say that the match with the bike is 95% right now, almost 100%. I feel really good and I know what I need on the bike, I know how to ride and I know how to save crashes or some bad situations.”
With Bulega first breaking and then extending the records for consecutive WorldSBK race wins to 16, it is worth considering how much of an achievement this is, even if reality makes us understand that he is facing relatively weaker machinery and, in some cases, less experienced and proven world championship opposition than in most previous eras.
The next best riders in WorldSBK history in terms of consecutive wins are both Toprak Razgatlioglu, because he achieved the 13-in-a-row feat twice. Jonathan Rea and Alvaro Bautista each have 11 in a row to their name, but Toprak had already surpassed those previous peaks in any case. Bulega has also gone several steps beyond Bautista’s best-ever start to a season, in 2019, when he won the first 11 races in succession.
BMW looks for a technical response
For BMW, that is the scale of the problem. The double championship-winning M1000RR has already proved enough in the hands of Miguel Oliveira to allow him to score podiums in his transition season from MotoGP to WorldSBK. Like every other manufacturer, however, BMW is being outperformed in various ways by the new Ducati V4-R.
Being BMW, and having become expert in the field of rapid responses to changes in regulations, balancing rules and threats from elsewhere, it arrived in Hungary with a set of fins, or perhaps more like gills, in the bottom half of the rear fairing belly pan. Strict rules are in place for what WorldSBK fairings and seats can be, but as the new cut-outs show, the belly pan is not considered in the same way. It can already be modified from stock to catch engine oil after a leak, hence BMW’s workaround.
The aim is likely to introduce more stability and manoeuvrability in faster turns. As Oliveira said, at a track like Balaton, with few fast corners or changes of direction, it had a limited effect. Most, however, has plenty of high-speed changes and fast corners, and it may be a track where the concept starts to pay off. Perhaps MotorLand or the downhill and uphill early sections at Donington will show even more.
That technical work is part of why BMW left Hungary with mixed feelings. There was frustration at another Ducati masterclass, but also encouragement that progress is being made. Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport, summed up BMW’s position most clearly when he said: “When everything comes together, we are the second-strongest force behind the Ducati factory team. We will continue fighting for podiums and, hopefully soon, for victories again, and we are looking forward to making the most of our bike’s strengths in Most.”
Injury interrupts BMW momentum
That was underlined by Oliveira’s podium on Saturday, which suggested BMW was at least moving in the right direction before events turned against it.
“Of course, I’m very disappointed, because with the podium in Saturday’s race in Hungary we showed that we are on the right path towards success,” said Oliveira. “Unfortunately, setbacks such as injuries can happen in racing. I will now fully focus on getting back to 100 percent fitness and returning to my team and my BMW M 1000 RR as soon as possible. My thanks go to everyone who helped me after my injury in Hungary. Thanks also to Mickey – I know my bike is in good hands in Most.”
That podium, however, has now been followed by a setback. Oliveira will not take part in the upcoming FIM Superbike World Championship races at Most in the Czech Republic after suffering fractures of the scapula and ribs, shoulder tendon injuries and a concussion during Sunday’s Superpole Race at Balaton Park Circuit. Together, Oliveira, BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team decided that the full focus will now be on his complete recovery.
Van der Mark steps in at Most
As a replacement for the Most weekend, BMW factory rider Michael van der Mark will step in on the BMW M1000RR. Van der Mark knows the motorcycle, the team, the championship and the circuit extremely well, having raced with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team from 2021 to 2025. He is now a rider in the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and test rider for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team.
“First of all, I wish Miguel a speedy recovery,” said van der Mark. “I’m ready and I will give everything to settle back in quickly. My task will be to support BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the team as best as possible in Most, collect important data for the rest of the season, and of course score as many points as possible.”
BMW’s immediate task is to keep building on the positives from Hungary while trying to turn technical ingenuity into a more consistent challenge to Ducati. The signs from Oliveira’s pace and podium suggested that may yet be possible. But with Bulega and Ducati continuing to redefine the standard, BMW is still searching for answers.
