SportPesa-backed Brad Binder is set to start a new chapter in his career as he is expected to switch from MotoGP to WorldSBK, joining the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team in 2027.
The 30-year-old will leave MotoGP after seven seasons in the premier class and join BMW as a factory rider, where he will race alongside his former teammate Miguel Oliveira.
The pair previously shared a garage across four different classes, spanning the 125cc World Championship, Moto3, Moto2, and MotoGP in 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022.
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We are delighted to welcome Brad Binder to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for 2027.
Brad has proven himself at the highest level of Grand Prix racing, and we strongly believe he has the character, determination and ability to make a real impact in WorldSBK.
He has a clear ambition to fight at the front and we are confident that, once he gets to grips with the BMW M 1000 RR, he will be a very strong addition to the team,” Shaun Muir, Team Principal of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, said while welcoming Binder on board.
Binder has enjoyed a standout Grand Prix career since winning the 2016 Moto3 World Championship.
He progressed through Moto2 before reaching MotoGP, where he has claimed two race victories and stood on the podium 11 times.
He has also been a consistent presence near the sharp end of the field, finishing inside the top six in the championship every season from 2021 to 2024 and ending the 2023 campaign in fourth after five podium finishes.
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“It’s super exciting to be starting something fresh. I had a good run here, a good seven seasons, but I’m looking forward to the next adventure. It’s going to be exciting, a completely new paddock, a completely new bike.
I’m looking forward to getting started there for sure, but also looking forward to my last few races here in MotoGP, and hopefully we can make them good ones.
I’ve had the opportunity to race up at the front, and where I am at the moment, it’s a lot more fun at the sharp end. I want to achieve good things there,” Binder told WorldSBK.
Over seven seasons in the category, and 11 years in total under the KTM banner, Binder has amassed 11 premier-class podiums and earned a reputation among his peers as a tough rider to overtake.
After spending more than a decade with a single manufacturer, Binder face of KTM will also have to master a completely new machine.
While the BMW M 1000 RR reached the summit of WorldSBK with Toprak Razgatlıoğlu’s championship titles in 2024 and 2025, the German outfit has faced a more demanding campaign this season.
The pairing of Binder and Oliveira for 2027 is expected to play a key role in driving the machine’s development back towards the front.
Brad Binder has endured a highly frustrating 2026 MotoGP season, currently occupying 13th place in the World Championship standings with 78 points.
His best outings of the year have produced just a pair of seventh-place finishes in Thailand and Catalonia, while qualifying struggles have frequently left him buried in the field on race days.
With two retirements (DNFs) in Brazil and France further hampering his momentum, he is now focused on finishing his final year with KTM on a positive note.
There are nine rounds remaining in the 22-race 2026 championship calendar.
The season resumes this weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the San Marino Grand Prix on September 13.
Following the event, the paddock will head directly to Austria before moving into a demanding flyaway stretch covering Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, and Qatar.
The season will eventually reach its grand finale in November, with the concluding rounds in Portugal and Valencia.
Brad Binder’s complete race results for the 13 rounds completed so far in the 2026 MotoGP World Championship:
- Thailand (Chang Circuit) – 7th
- Brazil (Goiânia) – DNF
- Americas (Austin) – 12th
- Spain (Jerez) – 11th
- France (Le Mans) – DNF
- Catalonia (Barcelona) – 7th
- Italy (Mugello) – 11th
- Hungary (Balaton Park) – 10th
- Czechia (Brno) – 12th
- Netherlands (Assen) – 11th
- Germany (Sachsenring) – 10th
- Great Britain (Silverstone) – 8th
- Aragon (Ciudad del Motor de Aragón) – 10th