According to Auto Evolution, BMW could soon be making the move to the MotoGP class.
The German manufacturer, who provide the official safety car of MotoGP and also provide S1000RR machines to Dorna, have apparently signed former BMW World Superbike rider and MotoGP veteran Marco Melandri to be the development rider for their new prototype bike.
However, these are only rumours, and the fact that BMW CEO Stephan Schaller had declared that the company was not willing to spend big money on racing in MotoGP with two riders.
Speaking in March, Schaller said that “BMW would obviously have the economic strength to participate in the championship, but we will not use it to have two riders racing in that category.”
BMW did run a World Superbike team, with riders such as Troy Corser, Leon Haslam, and of course, Melandri, all riding for the team over their 4-year existence. BMW pulled out of WSBK in 2013, preferring to provide teams with factory assistance rather than run a team outright. This could mean therefore that they were slowly preparing a MotoGP outfit, but it more likely means they were unwilling to spend lots to stay competitive in the class.
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