Michael van der Mark, Markus Reiterberger, and Steven Odendaal form the core trio.

In the FIM EWC, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, led by Team Manager Werner Daemen, came very close to the world championship last season. Less than 30 minutes separated the team from the title at the season finale, the Bol d’Or in France. A technical failure ultimately pushed them back to third place in the championship, earning them the title of “World Champions of Hearts.” The lineup of the #37 BMW M 1000 RR changes only in one spot for 2026: Michael van der Mark (NED) joins the team. He was a BMW Motorrad factory rider in WorldSBK from 2021 and now moves to the FIM EWC. Van der Mark already raced with the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team at Suzuka (JPN) in 2025. Also continuing are BMW veteran Markus Reiterberger (GER), part of the project since its 2019/20 debut, Steven Odendaal (RSA), and Hannes Soomer (EST) as the fourth rider. The riders’ programmes also include additional activities: Van der Mark is a test rider for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team, Reiterberger and Soomer will compete in the new EuroMoto (formerly IDM Superbike), and Odendaal will defend his title in the Spanish Superbike Championship.

Reactions:

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “In the FIM EWC, after last year’s dramatic season finale, we are even more determined to win the title. With the addition of Michael van der Mark to the team, alongside Steven Odendaal and Markus Reiterberger on bike #37, we are very well positioned for the mission of winning the championship. Over the winter, we prepared intensively, both operationally and technically.”

 

Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “In the Endurance World Championship, the benchmark is clear: to finally bring the 2025 world title, narrowly missed at the end, back to Munich. A bike further optimised for the championship and tyres, together with the strengthened rider lineup including Michael van der Mark, offers outstanding opportunities for successful 24-hour races and excellent results in the eight-hour races at Spa and Suzuka. The desire to make history as the first European manufacturer in the EWC 2026 is the ultimate motivation for everyone in the team. We’re ready to go.”

 

Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “We expect that we go in the same way that we ended 2025 – except of course the last 25 minutes, because the rest of 2025 was really good. I think we have a very good bike and very strong riders with Markus, Steven, now Michael van der Mark and Hannes as fourth rider. I think we have one goal which is for going for the championship. At the moment, all suits well. We are well prepared from the technical side and testing starts from February on. I expect that we’re running in front and, okay, you need some luck. I also think when we have the luck on our side, we can go again for the world title. This year, we also do the EuroMoto, the new IDM class, where Markus and Hannes can prepare themselves for the World Championship. Steven Odendaal will do the ESBK on the stock BMW – so I think we will be very well prepared for the season.”

 

Michael van der Mark, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “I am honestly looking forward to it. I had a nice experience with them last year at Suzuka and I really enjoyed working with Steven and Markus and we’re a nice team. It’s great to know the team already and I think it’s pretty clear that we have one goal and that’s to win the Endurance World Championship. They were so close last year but unfortunately it’s part of endurance racing. I’m looking forward to trying and helping them to get a world title. I will also be in the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team. We’re doing a lot of testing work before getting the parts over to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and also to the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. It’s a different kind of job, but also really enjoyable. Sometimes it’s a lot of work, and I am really enjoying it as well. It’s great to stay with the BMW Motorsport family and I might be busy during the year.”

 

Markus Reiterberger, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “I’m really looking forward to the season with BMW and the familiar, well-known environment from the past years. Our goal is clear: we want to win the world championship. Last year we were very, very close. We were missing 25 minutes to the title. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite make it in the end, but that automatically makes it our task to go and get it now and I believe the chances are good. We’ve improved a little more in many areas. I think it’s realistic that we can achieve it, but we all have to give our best, work well and stay focused, and of course also have the necessary luck – or simply avoid bad luck. Because endurance racing is always a combination of everything. So the goals are clearly defined. In EuroMoto, we also want to bring the championship title back to BMW. I’ve already managed that four times, and I’m happy that I can go after it once again. Here, I first have to readjust a bit, because in recent years I’ve been active as a test rider at BMW mainly on the Superbike. I was familiar with the Stock bike in the past, and now I need to dial myself back in a little. However, we still have several tests coming up in preparation. The competition in EuroMoto is very strong, which makes me happy, because that’s exactly what German motorsport needs: strong riders, teams, and motorcycles. We’re well set up, and I’m hoping for a great season..”

 

Steven Odendaal, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “I’m really excited for this 2026 season. I think from last year we can extract a lot of information about how to improve, not just on the bike but also myself personally. And I think that this year we can really bring it together for a strong and consistent performance to bring us the title at the end of the year. That’s the main objective and obviously also I would like to defend my Spanish Superbike title this year. I am looking forward to keeping my eye in with that and enjoying racing again.”