Six full seasons of hard racing in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship have come to an end, with MGM Optical Express Racing announcing their withdrawal from the paddock at the close of the 2026 campaign.
It is the end of an era for the independent squad, who spent their time in the category cycling through three different manufacturers. They began their journey on Yamaha machinery back in 2020, transitioned to BMW from 2021 to 2024, and finally campaigned Ducati equipment through 2025 and 2026.
Thank you to everyone, and a big thank you to all the fans who cheered us on. I'm sure we'll cross paths again somewhere, someday.
Along the way, the team tasted serious success. They celebrated podium finishes with Garrett Gerloff in 2024 and consistently fought around the top ten or higher. More recently, Tarran Mackenzie delivered standout drives for the outfit, securing a personal best of P4 at Phillip Island in the wet and a dry weather fifth place at Misano before suffering his season-ending injury. Loris Baz ultimately closed the circle, returning as a replacement rider for the team's final WorldSBK races after previously competing as their full-time rider in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Reflecting on six competitive years, Team Principal Michael Galinski admitted they viewed the final race weekend with a touch of melancholy while noting they still had a great time with Loris once again. Galinski highlighted their strong start with Tarran, noting the rider was almost always in the top ten for the first half of the season and later pushing toward the top five.
"All in all, I want to thank everyone who made this possible," Galinski said. "We've spent six wonderful years here in the Superbike World Championship. We've shown that it's possible to make the leap from IDM to World Championship level, anyone can do it. Of course, it requires a great deal of effort and, unfortunately, a significant amount of money, but I'm still incredibly grateful to everyone involved."
With the World Superbike chapter now officially closed, the team leaves behind a proven path from national competition to the world stage. "We are now closing the World Superbike chapter," Galinski added. "Thank you to everyone, and a big thank you to all the fans who cheered us on. I'm sure we'll cross paths again somewhere, someday."
