WorldSBK: The second day of the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship private test at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto saw improving conditions, giving teams and riders a better opportunity to evaluate machinery and gather data ahead of a second private test at Portimao on January 28-29.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) made his first appearance of the season count, topping the timesheets with a 1’39.331.
Key points from Day 2
Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega and Iker Lecuona both made strong impressions. Bulega dominated with a 1’39.331, the fastest lap of the session, while Lecuona steadily improved in his second outing, finishing sixth fastest with a 1’39.979 over 26 laps despite a minor crash at Turn 5.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“For the first test, it wasn’t so bad, honestly, but the weather was a problem. The track had a lot of wet patches, so it wasn’t very useful, I only managed 20 laps. The last time I rode a bike before winter was a MotoGP, so I used these laps to get the feeling of the Superbike back. My first impression of the new Ducati is good; I already tried it here last October. It feels positive, but it’s still a new bike, so we need to keep going and do more laps.”
Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) showed competitive speed aboard the KB998 Rimini. Lowes finished second with a 1’39.450, just 0.119s off Bulega, completing 16 laps. Bassani finished seventh in 1’40.069, contributing valuable feedback to the 2026 programme.
Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) delivered the top Yamaha performance with a 1’39.770, finishing third and completing 34 laps focused on consistency and setup.
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) rounded out the top four with a 1’39.811, improving steadily over 27 laps and working on early-season baseline checks.
ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team focused on development. Miguel Oliveira (1’40.447) and Danilo Petrucci (1’40.823) completed 29 and 19 laps respectively, gathering crucial early-season data on the new M 1000 RR. Test rider Michael van der Mark added extra mileage with 45 laps, finishing fifth fastest in 1’39.836 and supporting BMW’s refinement of both race and development setups.
Other notable performers: Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) showed strong pace on his new ZX-10RR, finishing 11th in 1’40.445. Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) continued Honda’s winter development programme, ending 13th in 1’40.450 across 29 laps. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) ended the day 23rd with a 1’41.772 over 43 laps. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) also made his WorldSBK testing debut, completing his first laps on the Ducati Panigale V4R.
Day 2 results:
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’39.331s
2. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.119s
3. Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +0.439s
4. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.480s
5. Michael van der Mark (BMW Test Team) +0.505s
6. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.648s
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