Bulega Peerless at Phillip Island test

Italian star the red-hot favourite for Round 1 after topping every session, with Bimota impressing and Honda’s Jake Dixon ruled out injured

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) heads into this weekend’s Australian Round as the clear favourite after dominating the two-day Official Test at Phillip Island, finishing fastest in all four practice sessions. The #11 was untouchable again on Tuesday and the only rider to dip into the 1’28s, sealing top spot with a 1’28.630s to wrap up testing for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field.

Bulega capped a perfect test by firing in a late run of 1’28s laps in Tuesday afternoon’s FP2, ending just over a tenth away from the Phillip Island race lap record. Fellow Ducati rider Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was next best in second, 0.666s back, while Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) delivered another standout effort to take third with a last-gasp 1’29.328s. Baldassarri edged Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) by just 0.023s, leaving Montella fourth. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) set his best time in the morning with a 1’29.769s to end the day fifth quickest among the Ducati runners, 1.139s away from his teammate. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) continued settling in and was 11th after a Turn 10 crash in FP2, though he was able to remount and continue. Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Racing Performance) improved late to 13th overall, with rookie Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) only 0.012s behind him.

Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team finished the test strongly with both riders inside the top six. Axel Bassani ended fifth overall on a 1’29.373s and had been quickest in FP2 for much of the session before the late time attacks, while Alex Lowes closed out Tuesday in sixth thanks to his 1’29.575s from the afternoon, the final rider to finish within a second of Bulega.

Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) climbed to seventh with a 1’29.676s, though he couldn’t find extra time in the afternoon. Team-mate Danilo Petrucci had a solid day too, placing 12th overall with his best coming in the morning on a 1’29.906s after a 1’30.196s in FP2.

Yamaha’s best on Day 2 was Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha), the only rider from the brand inside the top ten as he took ninth with a 1’29.812s set in FP1. Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished 15th despite a Turn 2 exit crash in FP1; he was declared fit after a medical check, though he did pick up a left hip contusion. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was 16th on a 1’30.205s, narrowly ahead of Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in 17th, only 0.064s behind. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) brought out brief red flags after a Turn 6 crash in FP2 and was also cleared fit, diagnosed with a small laceration on the fifth finger of his left hand, while team-mate Mattia Rato completed the WorldSBK line-up.

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) also ended the test inside the top ten, placing 10th overall with a 1’29.823s from the morning as he continued building speed on the ZX-10RR. He later crashed at Turn 10 but was able to remount, finishing FP2 10th as well.

For Honda, wildcard Ryan Vickers (Honda HRC) led the marque on Tuesday with a late 1’30.446s to take 18th overall, just ahead of Tetsuta Nagashima in 19th after the Japanese rider improved to a 1’30.513s. Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) will miss the Australian Round entirely after a Turn 11 crash in Tuesday morning’s session left him with a fractured wrist and an elbow contusion; he sat out the final session and was declared unfit following medical checks.

2026 Phillip Island WorldSBK test combined times