The 2026 World Superbike pre-season testing kicked off at Phillip Island, Australia, on Monday morning.
This two-day test alternates track sessions between the WorldSBK and WSS categories.
Monday’s WorldSBK schedule:
11:10-13:10 – WorldSBK Free Practice 1
15:40-17:40 – WorldSBK Free Practice 2
As Free Practice 2 reaches its midpoint, Nicolo Bulega leads the pack, boasting an impressive 0.682s advantage over Axel Bassani after clocking the fastest lap of the day so far…
(Bold font indicates riders who improved their lap times compared to FP1)
2026 Phillip Island World Superbike Test – Results: Day 1 (Free Practice 2, Hour 1) |
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| POS | RIDER | NAT | TEAM | TIME |
| 1 | Nicolo Bulega | ITA | Aruba.it – Ducati | 1:29.400s |
| 2 | Axel Bassani | ITA | bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | +0.682s |
| 3 | Alex Lowes | GBR | bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | +0.892s |
| 4 | Alvaro Bautista | SPA | Barni Spark Racing Team | +0.897s |
| 5 | Sam Lowes | GBR | ELF Marc VDS Racing Team | +1.001s |
Fastest Free Practice 1 Time:
Nicolo Bulega, Ducati, 1m 29.415s.
Official Phillip Island WorldSBK Records:
Best lap: Nicolo Bulega, Ducati, 1m 27.916 (2024)
Fastest race lap: Nicolo Bulega, Ducati, 1m 28.564 (2024)
Fastest 2025 WorldSBK Superpole Qualifying laps – by manufacturer:
Ducati: Nicolo Bulega, 1m 28.824s.
BMW: Toprak Razgatlioglu, 1m 28.918s.
Yamaha: Andrea Locatelli, 1m 29.783s.
Bimota: Alex Lowes, 1m 29.859s.
Honda: Xavi Vierge, 1m 29.924s.
Kawasaki: Garrett Gerloff, 1m 30.768s.
—– End of FP1 —–
These results conclude Free Practice 1, where Nicolo Bulega clinched the top time just before the session wrapped up, finishing nearly half a second ahead of Yari Montella.
Bulega, who triumphed in all three races at Phillip Island last season, seized the lead after 15 minutes and maintained it till the end.
In terms of incidents, Honda newbie Jake Dixon skidded through the gravel early at Turn 2, followed by Stefan Manzi crashing at Turn 6, with Ryan Vickers also going off-track shortly before the halfway mark.
There were brief red flag interruptions due to birds on the track and a technical issue for Sam Lowes, culminating in a crash for Tarran Mackenzie at Turn 10 near the session’s conclusion.
