Bulega Leads the Way in Jerez WSBK Testing

Ducati on top as Lowes, Vierge flash early-season speed

The second day of the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship private test at the Circuito de Jerez–Ángel Nieto finally delivered improved conditions, allowing teams and riders to get meaningful work done after a rain-soaked opening day. With another private test scheduled for Portimao on January 28–29, the drying Andalusian circuit offered a timely opportunity to evaluate new machinery and establish early baselines, and it was Nicolo Bulega who made the most of it, topping the timesheets on his first appearance of the season for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati.

Bulega wasted little time stamping his authority on the session, firing in a 1’39.331 to end the day fastest overall. It was an impressive return to action and comfortably the quickest lap of the test, immediately putting Ducati on the front foot. Fellow Ducati rider Iker Lecuona also left a strong impression, steadily building pace across the day to finish sixth fastest with a 1’39.979 from 26 laps, despite suffering a minor crash at Turn 5 that briefly interrupted his running.

Just behind Bulega, the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team continued to show promising signs with the KB998 Rimini. Alex Lowes came within striking distance of the top spot, finishing second with a 1’39.450 after completing 16 laps, only 0.119s adrift of Bulega’s benchmark. Axel Bassani backed that up with seventh place on a 1’40.069, adding further valuable data as the Italian marque continues development of its 2026 WorldSBK programme.

Yamaha’s strongest showing came courtesy of Xavi Vierge, who placed third overall with a 1’39.770. The Pata Maxus Yamaha rider completed 34 laps, focusing on consistency and setup work rather than outright pace, while Sam Lowes continued a solid start to the year for the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team. Lowes ended the day fourth with a 1’39.811, improving steadily across 27 laps as the team worked through early-season checks.

BMW’s attention remained firmly on development, with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team logging valuable mileage rather than chasing headline lap times. Miguel Oliveira set a best of 1’40.447 over 29 laps, while Danilo Petrucci recorded a 1’40.823 from 19 laps. Test rider Michael van der Mark played a key role in the programme, completing an extensive 45 laps and finishing fifth fastest with a 1’39.836 as BMW refined both race and development configurations of the new M 1000 RR.

Elsewhere, Garrett Gerloff continued to adapt well to life aboard the Kawasaki ZX-10RR, ending the day 11th with a 1’40.445, while Honda HRC’s Jake Dixon completed 29 laps on his way to 13th position with a 1’40.450 as Honda’s winter development continued. Lorenzo Baldassarri logged plenty of track time for Team GoEleven, finishing 23rd with a 1’41.772 after 43 laps, and Alberto Surra completed his first WorldSBK testing mileage on the Ducati Panigale V4 R with Motocorsa Racing, marking an important milestone in his Superbike debut.

The productive second day stood in stark contrast to the opening session, which was heavily disrupted by persistent rain. On Day 1, wet conditions dominated from start to finish, limiting meaningful running. Stefano Manzi ventured out in the morning on wet tyres, gaining his first experience of the Yamaha R1 in the rain.

As the weather deteriorated further in the afternoon, Manzi elected to stay in the garage to conserve valuable test time, while teammate Remy Gardner also chose not to run at all on the opening day due to the conditions. Although the second day began with a damp track following overnight rain, conditions gradually improved, allowing both GYTR GRT Yamaha riders to finally complete useful dry-track running. Manzi logged 36 laps and set a best time of 1’40.347, while Gardner completed 34 laps, stopping the clocks at 1’41.249.

Rain returned once again at 16:00 local time, bringing the test to an early conclusion for the Yamaha squad, but with meaningful data finally banked, attention now turns to Portugal. WorldSBK testing will resume next week at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve as the build-up to Round 1 Phillip Island on Feb 20 continues.

Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing Ducati)
“Obviously, the rain ruined our plans. It would have been important to stay on track for a long time, but instead we only managed to do 20 laps, which were still useful for regaining confidence with the bike after the winter. The sensations were good, but now we hope to be able to do two more complete days of testing at Portimão.”

Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing Ducati)
“Despite the few laps we had available, we still managed to do a good job, especially on the setup. We are making progress day by day, and that makes me very happy. I must admit that the feeling with the Panigale V4R is extraordinary, even though I know we still have many details to sort out in order to be as competitive as we want to be from the start of the season”.

Alex Lowes (Bimota)
“I was happy to get slick tyres on the KB998 Rimini and get out on track. To be honest, I loved it. It has been a relatively short winter, but I was really happy to get out on track. It wasn’t a day to learn too much as there were quite a few damp patches on the track. We did manage to back-to-back some front fork things from Showa, and I had started on a longer run until it started to rain quite heavily, and that ended our tests. After 16 laps, it was difficult to have any clear conclusion, but electronics in WorldSBK is a constant evolution now, and some of the things that the guys have been working on felt positive. So, from a technical side, we did not learn too much, but the things we tried were positive. From a personal side, I was just really happy to get back on the bike and get the year started.”

Axel Bassani (Bimota)
“On day one, I was riding in wet conditions. This was still good because we had some new items to try on the bike to have a better feeling in wet conditions. On day two, we were able to do some laps in dry conditions and started to have a nice feeling again. It was nice to do some good laps. I hope we will have better weather in Portimao next week because we need some more laps in dry conditions, and we will try again to do our best there.”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha)
“Strange winter test conditions in Jerez, more or less like always at this time of year! We rode a little bit yesterday in the wet, the feeling was not 100% but it was enough to ride and take a rhythm on the bike after the break from the last November test. Today, we had better weather and track conditions to try and take a better feeling. During the improvements, I crashed at Turn 5 and then it started raining again so we missed a bit of track time to continue on our work. We will look forward and wait for Portimão next week where we have some extra days. I’m quite confident, I know the R1 very well now, so the plan is to keep going – push hard – and then we will see what we can do at the last winter test.”

Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW)
“It was two long days even if we did not have the chance to ride a lot. I really enjoyed to be on the bike, especially in wet conditions. It’s really one of the best bikes I’ve ever ridden in the rain. For sure, it’s a long process because this bike is really different from what I was used. But the potential is really, really high. But you have to know the bike. On day one, I was really happy, on the second day the track was not in perfect conditions. We saw many crashes from the wet patches. But is was still useful because the conditions were very different compared to the November test so we understood that me and the bike need something different. Hopefully next week in Portimão we will have better conditions and we will gather some more experience.”

Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW)
“It has been the first test of the year after the winter break and there have been much expectations for these two days obviously, getting to know the bike and the team better. I think we achieved that, we ticked another box which was to solve some issues and as well to get to know each other better and that’s the way to go. We need more time, we know that, but at the same time, there is a lot of expectation. But right now we just need to be patient and achieve the best outcome possible for myself in that short period of time.”

Jake Dixon (HRC)
“We have just completed the two-day test here and conditions were far from ideal. The first day was almost a complete washout, with very limited track time, although it was still useful for me to make some laps in the wet and start building confidence with the bike. Even from one run to the next I felt more comfortable, which was positive. Today we only had a couple of hours in mixed conditions before the rain returned, which was frustrating, especially as a rookie in Superbike where track time is extremely important. We clearly need more laps, but despite the conditions I already feel more comfortable than I did in November, and the work done on the geometry and setup has been a good step forward. There are still a few areas to improve, including my riding position, electronics, and overall feeling with the bike, but that is all part of the process. Having Jonathan (Rea) and Tetsuta (Nagashima) alongside us is a huge asset; their experience and feedback bring a lot of motivation and energy to the whole team. Looking ahead to the next test, the goal is simply to keep working on everything, step by step, and hopefully make better use of the available days if the weather allows.”

Stefano Manzi (GYTR Yamaha)
“Finally we’re back in action, and I couldn’t wait to get back on track to improve my feeling with the Yamaha R1. On Day 1 we were able to ride in wet conditions, which could be useful during the season as we may face similar situations. On the second day we finally had dry conditions and managed to complete some good laps. Unfortunately, the rain in the afternoon disrupted our work plan and we missed some valuable track time, but we have another two-day test next week in Portugal to continue working and improving.”

Remy Gardner (GYTR Yamaha)
“It was great to be back on the Yamaha R1 and to see everyone again. Unfortunately, the weather limited our track time, so we had to manage our test days carefully. On the second day we finally rode in dry conditions, which helped me regain my feeling on the bike. The rain returned in the afternoon and forced us to stop early, but overall it was a good way to restart, and we’ll keep working next week in Portugal.”

2026 WORLDSBK JEREZ TEST