BMW 'looking closely' at a future MotoGP entry

There is a chance from 2027 onwards. I can't say I am all that excited by it though, when you look at their history in WSBK. They originally joined in 2008, by 2011 were regular winners and thereafter, championship contenders until they abruptly pulled out in 2013. They came back in 2019 and despite some star signings, have yet to be competitive.

BMW 'looking closely' at a future MotoGP entry

BMW enter a championship, then get pissed when they don't win the championship in the second year and pull back out.
Also, they were looking at entering MotoGP around 2011ish and suggested they move the German GP away from the Sachsenring.
I wouldn't be excited about BMW joining MotoGP but I don't see it happening anyway.

They definitely don’t seem to have a good track record in road racing. That said, they sell a lot of motorcycles, all mostly heavy off road and touring oriented. I have a vintage BMW and it is the motorcycle I’ve had the longest. I have no idea what their corporate goals are regarding racing. Do they have money to burn? It’s a complicated world out there. Looking forward to see what Toprak does this year.

What does BMW have to gain? In World Superbike, the riders can still make a difference. Toprak has barely put them back in the championship picture. In MotoGP, legendary riders on mediocre equipment are 30 seconds off of race winning pace.

We don't know the 2027 rules package, but considering the ascendancy of the European manufacturers, I'd argue that MotoGP is less likely to implement a formula in which the rider is the deciding factor in race outcomes, particularly since so many MotoGP teams are sidling up to F1 teams. The F1 teams and consultants are interested in selling their wares, and all of those wares inevitably upset the competitive landscape, and tip the balance of power back towards the garage. Ride height is a text book example. Marquez was neutralized almost overnight by a device that was designed to skirt an existing ban on electronic systems.

BMW benefit by teasing fans and keeping themselves in the shop window for the sake of cultural relevance. If they do join MotoGP, it will signal, imo, that the EU is making a concerted effort to arrest control of MotoGP and return it to a European sphere of influence. BMW is roughly the same size as Honda with similar car/bike technologies to Honda. It's value to MotoGP is similar to Honda's value. It is an organizing hegemon.....but only if it commits to spend a large sum of money over a relatively long period of time.

mylexicon said:

What does BMW have to gain? In World Superbike, the riders can still make a difference. Toprak has barely put them back in the championship picture. In MotoGP, legendary riders on mediocre equipment are 30 seconds off of race winning pace.

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I think they have more to lose than the gain tbh,

mylexicon said:

We don't know the 2027 rules package, but considering the ascendancy of the European manufacturers, I'd argue that MotoGP is less likely to implement a formula in which the rider is the deciding factor in race outcomes, particularly since so many MotoGP teams are sidling up to F1 teams. The F1 teams and consultants are interested in selling their wares, and all of those wares inevitably upset the competitive landscape, and tip the balance of power back towards the garage.

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Look at their F1 team. They were genuine championship contenders in 2008, but elected to stop development of their car to focus on the heavy 2009 regulation changes. Their car was a disaster and they then pulled out of the sport at the end of that year, leaving the Sauber team in a mire that they have never really recovered from. I have long said this about manufacturers. F1 prioritised having auto manufacturers in F1 with full teams rather than engine supply deals. The result of that was, as you noted, self serving interests with more power than independent teams. Of these manufacturers 4 (Renault, Honda, Toyota, BMW) pulled out of the sport at the same time and on a whim. I've always been a advocate of privateer teams over large manufacturers for that reason.They are too fickle to the wants and needs of a board and shaerholders.

mylexicon said:

Ride height is a text book example. Marquez was neutralized almost overnight by a device that was designed to skirt an existing ban on electronic systems.

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Funny isn't it? Whenever control measures are brought in to reduce (or sustain) costs, solutions are found that often cost more than the original. I wonder how different the sport would be now had teams been allowed to continue with their own electronics. Again, to my point above, Ducati have been given too much clout in the past for fear of losing them.

mylexicon said:

BMW benefit by teasing fans and keeping themselves in the shop window for the sake of cultural relevance. If they do join MotoGP, it will signal, imo, that the EU is making a concerted effort to arrest control of MotoGP and return it to a European sphere of influence. BMW is roughly the same size as Honda with similar car/bike technologies to Honda. It's value to MotoGP is similar to Honda's value. It is an organizing hegemon.....but only if it commits to spend a large sum of money over a relatively long period of time.

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I agree, I think it a tease to keep them in the news.

BMW needs to do something to stay relevant in the marketplace, they once owned the sport touring market, now KTM, Ducati, and Triumph have all taken a bite out of their market share. And while they might now be racing ST bikes in grand prix racing, a lot of MotoGP fans happen to ride ST bikes.

#22 said:

There is a chance from 2027 onwards. I can't say I am all that excited by it though, when you look at their history in WSBK. They originally joined in 2008, by 2011 were regular winners and thereafter, championship contenders until they abruptly pulled out in 2013. They came back in 2019 and despite some star signings, have yet to be competitive.

BMW 'looking closely' at a future MotoGP entry

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I hope their bikes are more reliable than their latest sportsbike