WSB: Michael Van Der Mark signs one-year BMW contract extension

Michael Van Der Mark has signed a new one-year contract extension with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad team in the World Superbike Championship.

The Dutch rider will continue to race alongside current championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu, who won all three races at Misano at the weekend. The 2014 World Supersport Champion currently sits eighth in the standings with a best result of fourth in Barcelona.

“I am very, very happy and honoured to continue with BMW,” Van Der Mark said. “I am really happy that especially after the two difficult years they still have the trust in me and I think that this year’s results are showing improvements. I’m really happy with how the team’s working, how the BMW M 1000 RR is working and how we are still improving it.

“So it’s fantastic to be able to stay. This also gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season. I’m ready to keep building our momentum and be even more ready for next year.”

2025 will be Van Der Mark’s fifth campaign with the factory BMW team, having first joined in 2021 after leaving Yamaha. It was that campaign which has so far been the most successful for Van Der Mark, ending the season with a Superpole victory at Portimao and two further podiums at Donington and Mandalika.

However, his 2022 and 2023 campaigns were plagued by injury, including a broken femur sustained at his home round at Assen last year. This after missing the start of the 2022 season with a broken leg, and then breaking his hip at round three at Estoril.

Whilst the factory team is now confirmed, the futures of Scott Redding and Garrett Gerloff are less certain following the announcement that the Bonovo Action BMW team with leave the series at the end of the season.

The team, owned by Jurgen Roder, joined the championship on a full-time basis with BMW in 2021 having claimed the International German Motorcycle Championship Superbike title with Jonas Folger the previous year.

Last season, Gerloff secured a first pole position for the team at Magny-Cours, France, and finished fourth in both races. The American also ended the season as the best-placed BMW rider in the championship, finishing 12^th overall.

Redding joined Gerloff for the 2024 season, but it’s been a difficult campaign for the Brit. The 2019 BSB champion is currently 18^th in the championship with a best result of eighth, whilst Gerloff is in 13^th, also with a best result of eighth.