BMW bids farewell to Petrucci as Oliveira seals third in WorldSBK manufacturers' title

Danilo Petrucci contested his final WorldSBK races for BMW Motorrad at the season finale in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, with the team and fans honouring him at the WorldSBK Paddock Show on Saturday evening. The weekend also brought a manufacturers' championship milestone: Miguel Oliveira's tenth-place finish in Sunday's second feature race secured third place for BMW in the Manufacturers' World Championship.

Petrucci's farewell and a difficult final weekend

Petrucci, riding the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team #9 BMW M 1000 RR, finished 17th, 19th and 20th across the weekend's three races. The team and fans gathered on the main stage of the WorldSBK Paddock Show to bid him an emotional farewell with heartfelt words.

The reason for Petrucci's departure has not been announced by BMW in this release, which describes the farewell without specifying whether the split is a retirement, a move to another series or a contract decision. Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport, said: "It is a shame that we were not as successful together in WorldSBK as we had hoped. But we are all racers and know that these things can happen. He will always remain part of our family".

Petrucci himself said: "For me, it's been a dream to race with the biggest factory in Europe. The outcome hasn't been as good as we all had hoped for, but everyone gave their best".

Oliveira's points and BMW's championship position

Oliveira had to retire from Saturday's opening race due to a technical issue, then finished eleventh in Sunday morning's Superpole Race before taking tenth in the second feature race. That result earned valuable points and confirmed BMW's third place in the Manufacturers' World Championship.

Oliveira said the weekend was compromised by qualifying issues and that not finishing Saturday was frustrating, but he was happy with the improvement in race two and excited to start winter testing. He also thanked Petrucci, calling him "a great teammate and a great person".

A season of highs, lows and injuries

Blusch described the season as an "emotional rollercoaster" with fantastic podium finishes but also serious injuries sustained by both Miguel and Danilo, which had a massive impact on the course of the season. Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport, said 2026 was a season of highs and lows, with podium finishes and setbacks, and at times the team competed without both of its injured factory riders.

Gonschor added that although the goal of winning races was not achieved, performance was often better than the results suggest, and in many races the team was faster than in 2025. "Speed alone is not enough," he said. "Our task is to consistently translate this performance into results in the future".

What comes next for BMW in 2027

BMW will race in 2027 with Miguel Oliveira and new signing Brad Binder. Gonschor said the lessons from this season and the team's fighting spirit give confidence for 2027, when "a new bike and new regulations" will create new opportunities.

The release does not name the new bike, give its technical details or specify which regulations are changing. Those details have not been announced in the material provided, so readers should treat the 2027 machine as confirmed to exist but otherwise unspecified.

Jerez race conditions and lap records

The weekend ran in dry conditions with air temperatures between 21 and 26 degrees Celsius and track temperatures between 25 and 38 degrees Celsius, with humidity between 62 and 71 percent; later drops of rain appeared during the second feature race. Nicolò Bulega set the fastest race lap in each race, including a new record of 1:37.196 in the Superpole Race.

Chery will launch its premium Exlantix brand in Australia in the first half of 2027, with the ES GT shooting brake and ET SUV leading the rollout. Right-hand drive versions of both models were shown to CarExpert in Shanghai, and Chery will handle the Australian introduction directly rather than through a third-party distributor.

The brand operates as Exeed in other markets, but trademark restrictions mean Australian and New Zealand buyers will know it as Exlantix. Exeed International CEO Lilian Xiong confirmed the plans and the naming decision in an interview with CarExpert at the event.

Why Exlantix, not Exeed

The Exlantix name is not a new creation for Australia. It is the identity Chery already uses for its premium electric vehicle lineup in overseas markets where the Exeed name is unavailable.

Xiong said the company could not register the Exeed name in certain markets, including Australia, and would use Exlantix instead. She did not identify the specific trademark conflict behind the decision. The Exeed name is similar to Kia's XCeed model name used in Europe, while Mitsubishi uses Exceed as a grade designation in Australia.

Asked whether Exeed and Exlantix would arrive as separate brands, Xiong was clear: "It is one brand," she told CarExpert.

Positioning against Zeekr and Denza

The Australian introduction will take Chery further upmarket. Xiong indicated Exlantix would occupy broadly similar territory to other premium Chinese brands, and broadly agreed when asked whether Zeekr and Denza were representative of its intended competitors, while cautioning that precise positioning would depend on pricing.

Australian prices and detailed variant line-ups were not disclosed during the interview.

Powertrains and specifications remain unconfirmed

Xiong indicated electric and hybrid vehicles would form part of the Australian offering, but the exact powertrain choices for each model remain to be confirmed.

The existing overseas ET range includes both battery-electric and range-extender versions. The latter uses a petrol engine to generate electricity, reducing reliance on external charging. However, those overseas offerings do not establish the specifications of the new Australian-market ET.

What powertrains Australian cars will get, and what range they will offer, has not been announced. Chery has not confirmed battery sizes, electric range figures, charging rates or whether the range-extender option will be offered locally.

A long-held ambition

CarExpert reported in March 2024 that Chery Australia's managing director Lucas Harris would personally like to see Exeed vehicles sold locally. The confirmation of Exlantix for 2027 turns that ambition into a concrete plan, though the brand still has to establish pricing, variant line-ups and local specification before it can compete with the premium Chinese brands it names as rivals.