After months of speculation, the wait to find out about the satellite BMW WorldSBK teams is over as it has been confirmed RC Squadra Corse and Bonovo Action will be on the grid in 2021 for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship running BMW machinery. Eugene Laverty will compete for RC Squadra Corse while Folger will run with Bonovo Action, the same team he made wildcard appearances with in 2020.

Laverty’s role will also include being the BMW test driver after he was involved in the development of the new BMW M 1000 RR which BMW will be fielding in 2021. Both satellite teams will run the new machine as the number of BMWs on the grid doubles from two to four.

RC Squadra Corse are known in the WorldSBK paddock having been in the WorldSBK paddock for a number of years now, while they also claimed podium finishes in the 2020 WorldSSP Championship. They will be appearing under a new name in 2021 as Laverty joins the team; remaining on BMW machinery after one season with the factory team.

Markus Schramm, Director of BMW Motorrad, said: “Cooperation with satellite teams represents another important step for our involvement in the FIM Superbike World Championship. It is great to have two more BMW M1000 RRs in the field alongside the two motorbikes from our works teams, the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team with riders Tom Sykes and Michael van der Mark. I would like to extend a warm welcome to the two satellite teams in our WorldSBK project. The Bonovo Action Team with Jonas Folger is the first German team to register to compete in the WorldSBK with a Bavarian rider on a Bavarian motorbike. That is a special combination. I am also delighted that Eugene Laverty will remain an integral member of our BMW family, applying his talents and his knowledge of BMW superbikes in our satellite team RC Squadra Corse, newly formed but already known in the World Superbike paddock. I hope that they will all enjoy a successful 2021 WorldSBK season!”

Bonovo Action will return to WorldSBK after two wildcard appearances in 2020 where Folger showed impressive pace at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and Circuito Estoril when he competed with Yamaha machinery. The combination of Bonovo Action and Folger proved successful in the German superbike championship as they won all eight races; Folger has also competed in Moto3™, Moto2™ and MotoGP™.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director, Marc Bongers, said: “We are really looking forward to the partnership with Bonovo Action and RC Squadra Corse. The cooperation with these two teams allows us to diversify our WorldSBK project even more. They will communicate closely with the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. The benefit for us is that we can access yet more collective feedback. The teams are also very strong as far as the riders are concerned. Jonas Folger and Eugene Laverty are not just fast, but their many years of experience allow them to make important contributions to the further development of the BMW M1000 RR. It is great that Eugene will still be on board, and to welcome Jonas to the BMW family.”

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