Bulega and Lecuona lead the way on day 2 in wet, windy conditions
The final European shakedown for the WorldSBK paddock wrapped up at Portimao under trying conditions, with intermittent rain and strong winds again limiting meaningful track time on Day 2 of the private test at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
Despite the stop-start nature of the session, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) emerged fastest, posting a 1’59.144 to top the timesheets. The Italian was narrowly followed by teammate Iker Lecuona, who also dipped into the 1’59s as he continues to adapt to the Ducati Panigale V4 R ahead of the season opener.
Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) completed a structured testing program across two machines and finished the day third overall. The Briton’s best lap of 2’00.111 came despite the challenging conditions, as Honda focused on data gathering rather than outright pace.
Further down the order, Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) made solid progress during his rookie WorldSBK preparations. The Italian recorded a best time of 2’00.757, maximising limited dry running as he continues to build experience at the top level.
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) returned for a second consecutive day on track, adding valuable mileage and stopping the clocks at 2’01.610, while Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) logged steady laps aboard the Panigale V4 R. Montella’s best time of 2’04.442 reflected a focus on set-up work rather than headline lap times.
There was also track time for Xavi Fores, who continued his development role with bimota, completing valuable laps on the KB998 Rimini as the Italian marque progresses its WorldSBK return.
With conditions remaining unfavourable in Portugal, the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team opted to relocate its testing programme to Valencia in search of dry weather and uninterrupted running.
In WorldSSP, Philipp Oettl was the sole rider on track, using the mixed conditions to continue preparations ahead of the Australian season opener at Phillip Island.
Meanwhile, Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) were both present at Portimao but had completed their running on Wednesday, while Yamaha teams elected not to utilise their remaining test days due to the persistent poor weather.
Attention now turns to the Official WorldSBK Test at Phillip Island, where teams and riders will finally get a full picture of where they stand ahead of the 2026 season opener on Australian soil.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“Unfortunately, this winter we were very unlucky with the weather. Today was the last day and it was raining again, so we decided to do some laps even in wet conditions. Honestly, though, the conditions were quite extreme: cold, very windy and very wet. I did a few laps just to check that everything was okay before heading to Australia. The bike is new, so it was still important to ride a little, even in the wet, but these conditions are not very useful. When you have a new bike, you really need to do a lot of laps to understand it, and also for the guys in the box to check that everything is working properly. Unfortunately, we couldn’t really try anything this winter, so we’ll go to Australia like this and see how it goes. The Official Test at Phillip Island will be very important. The goal will be to stay on track as much as possible and complete a lot of laps.”
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”.
Jake Dixon (HRC Honda)
“It was a very challenging test because of the weather, with a lot of rain and difficult conditions, but we tried to make the most of the time we had on track. Riding in the wet all day is not easy, especially for me as a rookie in Superbike and on a completely new bike, but every lap was important to keep learning. We focused mainly on rain settings, my riding position and electronics, working closely with the team to better understand the bike step by step. Coming from Moto2, the feeling and the way you ride the bike are very different, so I know I need many more laps to build confidence, especially under braking and on corner entry. Of course we would all prefer dry conditions, but even in these circumstances we were able to learn useful things. Now we head to Australia knowing there is still to improve, but with a clear direction and the motivation to keep progressing”.
WorldSBK Portimao Test Day 2
| POS | RIDER | BIKE | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N. Bulega | Duc | 1:59.144s |
| 2 | I. Lecuona | Duc | 1:59.183s |
| 3 | J. Dixon (Bike 1) | Hon | 2:00.111s |
| 4 | J. Dixon (Bike 2) | Hon | 2:00.184s |
| 5 | A. Surra | Duc | 2:00.757s |
| 6 | Team ERC | BMW | 2:00.867s |
| 7 | C. Beaubier | Duc | 2:01.250s |
| 8 | L. Baldassarri | Duc | 2:01.610s |
| 9 | J. Fores | Bim | 2:01.807s |
| 10 | T. Bridewell | Duc | 2:03.207s |
| 11 | T. Nagashima | Hon | 2:03.305s |
| 12 | Y. Montella | Duc | 2:04.442s |
