The first test of the WorldSBK 2026 calendar year took place at the well-worn venue of the Circuit de Jerez – Angel Nieto, January 21-22. Most of the expected new-season big hitters were in attendance, along with several others.
In what feels like a genuinely new era of on-track WorldSBK competition, there was no Toprak Razgatlioglu, of course. Alvaro Bautista rode at Jerez for the non-factory Barni Spark Ducati team, and Jonathan Rea was only there as a test rider for his old alma mater, Honda, not Kawasaki.
As we all expected, the de facto Aruba.it Racing Ducati lead rider, Nicolo Bulega, was the fastest rider, but like the rest of his revamped and new peer group, he was a slave to the Spanish winter weather.
A fully wet first day and then a largely wet final day (punctuated eventually by a short window of almost dry track conditions after lunchtime) limited everyone’s full ambitions.
Bulega was still fastest overall, even if he did run off track and later crashed at the still-damp T5, ending his latest test unhurt, but in the pit box for the last few hours.
Second fastest was one-day/final-day rider Alex Lowes (bimota by KRT), who got close to Bulega’s best of 1:39.331 with his own 1:39.450.
New Pata Maxus Yamaha rider Xavi Vierge was third quickest, with privateer Ducati rider Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Ducati) fourth.
There are two new BMW factory signings for 2026, but it was outgoing regular competitor and new test rider Michael van der Mark who set the fastest time on the latest M 1000 RR in fifth position overall.
Iker Lecuona, Bulega’s new teammate, secured the sixth-best time on his new Ducati, and like Bulega, also tipped off at the stubbornly damp turn five. He got out again to set more useful laps as he gets to know his new team more each day.
The second bimota of Axel Bassani was seventh fastest, the second factory Yamaha of Andrea Locatelli was eighth (“Loka” fell at turn four at one stage), and the top 10 was rounded out by new GYTR GRT Yamaha signing Stefano Manzi and the still injured Jonathan Rea—not too shabby, on what has always been a tricky CBR (in WorldSBK spec, at least) over the past few years.
With a 2026 Ninja ZX-10RR that has sprouted big winglets and some more changes on and under its skin, America’s Garrett Gerloff was 11th fastest.
Miguel Oliveira (RoKIT BMW Motorrad) was the top new BMW competition signing, in 12th place, with his teammate Danilo Petrucci down in 17th place after topping a short day one in the wet.
Top regular Honda rider, and yet another new 2026 WorldSBK face, Jake Dixon, was 13th. Bautista placed 15th.
In WorldSSP testing, Philipp Oettl was the fastest rider, with second-season Kawasaki WorldSSP Team rider Jeremy Alcoba the second fastest of the middleweight runners.CN
WorldSBK 2026 Jerez Test Results (Top 10)
- Nicolo Bulega (Duc) 1:39.331
- Alex Lowes (bim) +0.119
- Xavi Vierge (Yam) +0.439
- Sam Lowes (Duc) +0.480
- Michael van der Mark (BMW) +0.505
- Iker Lecuona (Duc) +0.648
- Axel Bassani (bim) +0.738
- Andrea Locatelli (Yam) +1.014
- Stefano Manzi (Yam) +1.016
- Jonathan Rea (Hon) +1.111
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