Massive Jerez WorldSBK Test recap – Times/Notes/Quotes/Images

WorldSBK 2026

January Jerez Test – Day Two
January 22, 2026

The 2026 WorldSBK pre-season began this week with a two-day private test at Circuito de Jerez–Ángel Nieto, though persistent rain and a track that stayed patchy even as it began to dry meant most teams treated the outing as a baseline and systems check rather than a meaningful form guide.

WorldSBK 2026 – Aruba Ducati

Day one offered little scope for sustained slick-tyre work, with running repeatedly interrupted by heavy showers and low temperatures. Day two improved around mid-afternoon, briefly allowing slicks, but the window was short, and the circuit never fully stabilised before rain returned later in the session.

WorldSBK 2026 – Kawasaki ZX-10RR

Even so, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) finished top of the combined times with a 1m39.331s, set on Thursday after he largely sat out the worst of Wednesday. Bulega also fell at Turn 5, as did many others, underlining how marginal conditions were at the best of times.

WorldSBK 2026 – Aruba Ducati – Nicolò Bulega

Nicolò Bulega

“Obviously, the rain ruined our plans. It would have been important to stay on track for a long time, but instead, we only managed to do 20 laps, which were still useful for regaining confidence with the bike after the winter. The sensations were good, but now we hope to be able to do two more complete days of testing at Portimão.”

KTM MotoGP rider was on track with the WorldSBK riders at Jerez

New teammate Iker Lecuona ended sixth overall on 1m39.979s as Aruba continued to build its early set-up direction, while Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was fourth on 1m39.811s once he was able to get meaningful track time.

Iker Lecuona

“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”.

WorldSBK 2026 – Aruba Ducati – Iker Lecuona

The bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team again showed encouraging speed in its limited dry running. Alex Lowes was second with a 1m39.450s, and teammate Axel Bassani finished seventh on 1m40.069s. Test rider Xavi Fores added laps to the KB998 Rimini programme as the project continues to accumulate data ahead of Portimao and Phillip Island.

Alex Lowes

“I was happy to get slick tyres on the KB998 Rimini and get out on track. To be honest, I loved it. It has been a relatively short winter, but I was really happy to get out on track. It wasn’t a day to learn too much as there were quite a few damp patches on the track. We did manage to back-to-back some front fork things from Showa, and I had started on a longer run until it started to rain quite heavily, and that ended our tests. After 16 laps, it was difficult to have any clear conclusion, but electronics in WorldSBK is a constant evolution now, and some of the things that the guys have been working on felt positive. So, from a technical side, we did not learn too much, but the things we tried were positive. From a personal side, I was just really happy to get back on the bike and get the year started.”

WorldSBK 2026 – bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team – Alex Lowes

Axel Bassani

“On day one, I was riding in wet conditions. This was still good because we had some new items to try on the bike to have a better feeling in wet conditions. On day two, we were able to do some laps in dry conditions and started to have a nice feeling again. It was nice to do some good laps. I hope we will have better weather in Portimao next week because we need some more laps in dry conditions, and we will try again to do our best there.”

WorldSBK 2026 – bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team – Axel Bassani

Pere Riba – Crew Chief for Alex Lowes

“We have finished the test here at Jerez. We have been here for three days because we made some laps under dry conditions in the first day with Xavi Fores, our test rider. We did this with him again on Wednesday in wet conditions. We got to try some things about electronics and new items that we wanted to test to collect the first info. Alex made some laps in the afternoon of the final day in the dry, and straight away he was into a really strong speed and a good feeling with the package. In the November tests, Alex was already happy, but there is not so much to say because the weather has not been very helpful. But anyway, we move to Portimao, and the base bike we have is ‘talking’ quite well with Alex. Then, we just need more time to understand the points to improve.”

WorldSBK 2026 – bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team – Alex Lowes and Pere Riba

Uri Pallares – Crew Chief for Axel Bassani

“We did a half day with Axel in wet weather conditions on day one, but unfortunately, from around 12.30, the wind conditions increased a lot. This made the job more difficult, but we took some information to allow us to improve the wet set-up with Axel. On the second day, we had some dry time, and we were working to find the best balance. We have some good information, but unluckily we did not have very much time in dry conditions. We decided to keep testing something, even after the rain came back, but there was not enough rain to give us any conclusion on wet tyres, so we decided to stop. Now, we move on to Portimao.”

WorldSBK 2026 – bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team – Axel Bassani, Xavi Fores and Uri Pallares

Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was the leading Yamaha in third with a 1m39.770s, while Andrea Locatelli (1m40.345s) and Stefano Manzi (1m40.347s) were separated by just two-thousandths in eighth and ninth, respectively. Remy Gardner returned to action on day two after missing day one and finished 19th with a 1m41.249s, banking what dry laps were available before testing shifts to Portimao next week.

Xavi Vierge

“I’m very happy, now it is the fifth day that I’ve jumped on the R1 and I start to really feel like it’s my bike. The Yamaha turns very well, which fits my riding style, and we match on our strong points, I think. I’m super happy with the team and the way they have been working since the beginning. I’m working with people who it feels like we have been working together for a long time, and it’s just the first tests! Yesterday, we made our first laps in wet conditions, which is important before the season starts. Of course, we need more time and better track conditions, because yesterday the rain was massive, really windy and too cold, but at least we could make a start – and today, we had 30 laps in the dry. This was also very important for us to reconfirm the feeling we had last year and some developments that have yet to be decided. I recovered the feeling, and the pace has been good since the beginning, so I am also happy with that. Right now, I still need to discover the limits of the bike because we’ve just ridden in Jerez, and I can say that we are quite fast here, but it will be important to move on to a different track to see what our reality is there. Now, we move on to Portimão, and I hope the weather will be a bit better!”

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – Pata Maxus Yamaha – Xavi Vierge

Andrea Locatelli

“Strange winter test conditions in Jerez, more or less like always at this time of year! We rode a little bit yesterday in the wet; the feeling was not 100%, but it was enough to ride and take a rhythm on the bike after the break from the last November test. Today, we had better weather and track conditions to try and take a better feeling. During the improvements, I crashed at Turn 5, and then it started raining again, so we missed a bit of track time to continue on our work. We will look forward to and wait for Portimão next week, where we have some extra days. I’m quite confident, I know the R1 very well now, so the plan is to keep going – push hard – and then we will see what we can do at the last winter test.”

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – Pata Maxus Yamaha – Andrea Locatelli

Stefano Manzi

“Finally we’re back in action, and I couldn’t wait to get back on track to improve my feeling with the Yamaha R1. On Day 1 we were able to ride in wet conditions, which could be useful during the season as we may face similar situations. On the second day we finally had dry conditions and managed to complete some good laps. Unfortunately, the rain in the afternoon disrupted our work plan and we missed some valuable track time, but we have another two-day test next week in Portugal to continue working and improving.”

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – GYTR GRT Yamaha – Stefano Manzi

Remy Gardner

“It was great to be back on the Yamaha R1 and to see everyone again. Unfortunately, the weather limited our track time, so we had to manage our test days carefully. On the second day we finally rode in dry conditions, which helped me regain my feeling on the bike. The rain returned in the afternoon and forced us to stop early, but overall it was a good way to restart, and we’ll keep working next week in Portugal.”

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – GYTR GRT Yamaha – Remy Gardner

BMW’s programme appeared centred on integration and fundamentals with its new line-up. Test rider Michael van der Mark did the bulk of the mileage and finished fifth with a 1m39.836s after 45 laps, some of them reportedly on Miguel Oliveira’s machine. Among the race riders, Oliveira ended 12th (1m40.447s) and Danilo Petrucci 17th (1m40.823s) on the combined list after topping the times on the wet opening day.

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – BMW – Miguel Oliveira and Andrew Pitt

Christian Gonschor – Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport

“The test in Jerez de la Frontera was somewhat different from what we had planned due to the rainy conditions, but it was very productive as a result. Both Miguel and Danilo adapted to the bike very quickly and showed excellent performance on the BMW M 1000 RR in wet conditions. They felt comfortable – that was the most important thing. Both within the team and on the bike. They had confidence in the motorcycle, including the electronics. This allowed us to improve step by step over the course of the first day to move both riders up to the top positions in the timesheets. Due to the rapidly improving conditions, we were able to add three productive dry hours today after a successful wet session yesterday. This puts us in an optimal position for the upcoming Portimão test. Different tyres were used across the field, which somewhat distorted the results. Our riders are gradually building more confidence and understanding of their machinery on race tyres, the new components are working flawlessly, and the new team members have already become an integral part of our racing family. We are all eagerly looking forward to the start of the season together and thank the test team and Mickey for their great work.”

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – BMW – Danilo Petrucci

Danilo Petrucci

“It was two long days even if we did not have the chance to ride a lot. I really enjoyed to be on the bike, especially in wet conditions. It’s really one of the best bikes I’ve ever ridden in the rain. For sure, it’s a long process because this bike is really different from what I was used. But the potential is really, really high. But you have to know the bike. On day one, I was really happy, on the second day the track was not in perfect conditions. We saw many crashes from the wet patches. But is was still useful because the conditions were very different compared to the November test so we understood that me and the bike need something different. Hopefully next week in Portimão we will have better conditions and we will gather some more experience.”

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – BMW – Danilo Petrucci

Miguel Oliveira

“It has been the first test of the year after the winter break and there have been much expectations for these two days obviously, getting to know the bike and the team better. I think we achieved that, we ticked another box which was to solve some issues and as well to get to know each other better and that’s the way to go. We need more time, we know that, but at the same time, there is a lot of expectation. But right now we just need to be patient and achieve the best outcome possible for myself in that short period of time.”

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – BMW – Miguel Oliveira

Honda’s week was also shaped by limited dry running, but Thursday still allowed progress. Jake Dixon finished 13th with a 1m40.450s, continuing his adaptation to WorldSBK machinery after recent years in Moto2 and noting a focus on geometry and electronics.

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – HRC – Jonathan Rea

Six-time champion Jonathan Rea made his first appearance in a Honda test role and, via the HRC test entry, recorded 1m40.442s to sit 10th overall, with Tetsuta Nagashima also contributing mileage.  Somkiat Chantra missed the test due to a training injury.

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – HRC – Jonathan Rea

Jake Dixon

“We have just completed the two-day test here and conditions were far from ideal. The first day was almost a complete washout, with very limited track time, although it was still useful for me to make some laps in the wet and start building confidence with the bike. Even from one run to the next I felt more comfortable, which was positive. Today we only had a couple of hours in mixed conditions before the rain returned, which was frustrating, especially as a rookie in Superbike where track time is extremely important. We clearly need more laps, but despite the conditions I already feel more comfortable than I did in November, and the work done on the geometry and setup has been a good step forward. There are still a few areas to improve, including my riding position, electronics, and overall feeling with the bike, but that is all part of the process. Having Jonathan (Rea) and Tetsuta (Nagashima) alongside us is a huge asset; their experience and feedback bring a lot of motivation and energy to the whole team. Looking ahead to the next test, the goal is simply to keep working on everything, step by step, and hopefully make better use of the available days if the weather allows.”

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – HRC – Jake Dixon

For Kawasaki, Garrett Gerloff ended 11th with a 1m40.445s as the team evaluated 2026 ZX-10RR updates, including aerodynamic changes, though conditions prevented meaningful back-to-back comparisons.

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – Kawasaki ZX-10RR

Garrett Gerloff

“I have been waiting for two months to get out here and ride the bike, but the weather has been horrible at times. It is frustrating for the team and myself. In the end, we got 20 laps in the dry-ish conditions. It was like half wet and half dry out there. It was a little sketchy, and a lot of guys crashed on the water at T5, so luckily we stayed up on two wheels. I got to feel a bit of a difference in the aero package from last year, but in the end, it wasn’t enough laps to really get a full feeling for everything, so we still need more time. I felt I was able to turn better in the faster corners, and that I had the front a bit more planted on the ground. I did not get a whole lot of time to do back-to-back with anything.”

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – Kawasaki – Garrett Gerloff

At Barni Ducati, the first public reference for the Bautista/Montella pairing was more about establishing working routines than chasing lap time. Yari Montella finished 14th (1m40.456s) with Alvaro Bautista 15th (1m40.475s), separated by 0.019s.

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – Barni Ducati – Alvaro Bautista and Yari Montella

Álvaro Bautista

“The conditions were not ideal to start this new challenge with the team, but we still managed to do some laps both in the wet and on the dry. The feelings are very positive: we are beginning to understand each other with the team, to grasp the work that needs to be done, and to get familiar with the new bike. There is definitely still a lot to do, and in these two days we couldn’t do much, but at least the overall feeling remains positive.”

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – Barni Ducati – Alvaro Bautista

Yari Montella

“The first day in the wet went quite well performance-wise, although the crash slowed us down a bit. Overall, we are still getting to know the bike. Today we managed to complete at least twenty laps on dry track, which allowed us to better understand how to work on the bike. We didn’t do many laps, but it’s better than nothing. Towards the end, when we could have made some progress, the rain came back. Overall, the feeling is good, but there is definitely still a lot of work to do and much to discover for both me and the team. This work will be postponed to Portimão, hoping for better weather conditions.”

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – Barni Ducati – Yari Montella

Marco Barnabò – Barni Team Principal

“In the end, the weather didn’t allow us to work as we wanted, but what we managed to do was positive with both riders, so I’m still satisfied with this first outing. We know there is still a lot of work to do, but I’m confident that we have a good foundation and a positive atmosphere in the garage to work well.”

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – Barni Ducati – Alvaro Bautista and Yari Montella

Tarran Mackenzie ended 16th with a 1m40.760s as MGM Optical Express Racing unveiled its 2026 colours and continued bedding in with the Panigale V4R.

WorldSBK 2026 – Jerez Test – Tarran Mackenzie

In World Supersport, Philipp Oettl topped the class with a 1m42.931s, ahead of Jeremy Alcoba (1m43.500s) and Matteo Ferrari (1m43.672s), with SSP running similarly shaped by the limited dry windows.

Jeremy Alcoba

“We have waited for these two testing days for a long time, but the weather was not good, so we couldn’t test many things. On Wednesday, in the rain, I felt super good, but it was really just to test that everything was OK. On the final day, we had to wait for some time for better conditions to arrive on the track, and when the track was drier, we went out. We did 19 laps, not too much, but it was good to have a test on the Ninja ZX-6R 636 after a long time. I am happy to have been back on the bike, but we could not take a lot of information. Let’s see if the weather is better in Portimao and if it is, we can try other things.”

WorldSSP 2026 – Jerez Test – Kawasaki – Jeremy Alcoba

Dominique Aegerter used the test to refamiliarise himself with current Supersport machinery after stepping back to the category after recent years spent on a Superbike.

Dominique Aegerter

“This was our first test in 2026, and the first day was wet. We did some laps in the wet conditions to check that everything was working, and for me, this was the first time riding the Ninja ZX-6R 636 in the rain. It was all OK, but today we were hoping for better weather. It was difficult because we could only use about two hours of the day, and there were still some damp patches, but the team made a great job. We had the things I wanted to change after the previous test in November. We are still a little bit far away, but we made laps to be sure of what we need for the next test in Portimao and then the first race of the season in Australia. We are still working, and I feel great on the bike, on the physical side. Thanks to the team because they have done a lot of work in the short winter. I hope we will have better weather in Portimao for the next test.”

WorldSSP 2026 – Jerez Test – Kawasaki – Dominique Aegerter

Testing heads to Portimao

Teams now move to Portimao (Jan 28–29) for the next private test before attention turns to the traditional Phillip Island official test (Feb 16–17) and the season opener at Phillip Island (Feb 20–22).

WorldSBK Jerez Test Times
Day Two – Jan 22, 2026

Pos	Class	Rider	Bike	TIme/Gap		Speed
1	SBK	N. Bulega	Duc	1m39.331		268.7
2	SBK	A. Lowes	Bim	1m39.450	+0.119	271.4
3	SBK	X. Vierge	Yam	1m39.770	+0.439	266.7
4	SBK	S. Lowes	Duc	1m39.811	+0.480	266.7
5	SBK	M. Vd Mark	Bmw	1m39.836	+0.505	269.3
6	SBK	I. Lecuona	Duc	1m39.979	+0.648	270.7
7	SBK	A. Bassani	Bim	1m40.069	+0.738	270.7
8	SBK	A. Locatelli	Yam	1m40.345	+1.014	264.1
9	SBK	S. Manzi	Yam	1m40.347	+1.016	265.4
10	SBK	J,. Rea	Hon	1m40.442	+1.111	262.8
11	SBK	G. Gerloff	Kaw	1m40.445	+1.114	268.7
12	SBK	M. Oliveira	Bmw	1m40.447	+1.116	269.3
13	SBK	J. Dixon	Hon	1m40.450	+1.119	262.1
14	SBK	Y. Montella	Duc	1m40.456	+1.125	264.7
15	SBK	Á. Bautista	Duc	1m40.475	+1.144	271.4
16	SBK	T. Mackenzie	Duc	1m40.760	+1.429	270.0
17	SBK	D. Petrucci	Bmw	1m40.823	+1.492	268.0
18	SBK	H. Soomer	Bmw	1m41.127	+1.796	258.4
19	SBK	T. Smits	Yam	1m41.192	+1.861	259.6
20	SBK	T. Nagashima	Hon	1m41.214	+1.883	262.8
21	SBK	R. Gardner	Yam	1m41.249	+1.918	263.4
22	SBK	X. Forés	Bim	1m41.476	+2.145	263.4
23	SBK	L. Baldassarri	Duc	1m41.772	+2.441	265.4
24	SBK	A. Surra	Duc	1m41.815	+2.484	264.7
25	MGP	E. Bastianini	KTM	1m42.805	+3.474	262.8
26	SSP	P. Öttl	Duc	1m42.931	+3.600	238.4
27	SSP	J. Alcoba	Kaw	1m43.500	+4.169	235.3
28	SSP	M. Ferrari	Duc	1m43.672	+4.341	233.8
29	SSP	X. Cardelus	Yam	1m43.812	+4.481	233.3
30	EWC	Foray-Checa-Schrotter	Duc	1m44.046	+4.715	260.2
31	SSP	D. Aegerter	Kaw	1m44.501	+5.170	237.9
32	SSP	B. Jiménez	Duc	1m45.578	+6.247	236.8
33	SSP	D. Geiger	Yam	1m45.794	+6.463	217.7
34	SSP	L. Lehmann	Yam	1m46.801	+7.470	224.1
35	SBK	Aruba Test Rider	Duc	1m57.530	+18.199	255.9

2026 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship calendar

……Date…….	Country	Circuit	WorldSBK	WorldSSP	WorldSPB
20-22 Feb	AUS	Phillip Island GP	X	X
27-29 Mar	POR	Algarve Int’l	X	X	X
17-19 Apr	NED	TT Assen	X	X	X
1-3 May	HUN	Balaton Park	X	X
15-17 May	CZE	Most	X	X	X
29-31 May	ESP	MotorLand Aragon	X	X	X
12-14 Jun	ITA	Misano – Marco Simoncelli	X	X	X
10-12 Jul	UK	Donington Park	X	X
4-6 Sep	FRA	Nevers Magny-Cours	X	X	X
25-27 Sep	ITA	Cremona	X	X	X
9-11 Oct	POR	Estoril	X	X
16-18 Oct	ESP	Jerez – Angel Nieto*	X	X	X

2026 World Superbike Championship Entry List

Rider	Bike	Team
I.Lecuona	Duc	Aruba.It Ducati
N.Bulega	Duc	Aruba.It Ducati
D.Petrucci	BMW	ROKiT BMW Motorrad
M.Oliveira	BMW	ROKiT BMW Motorrad
A.Locatelli	Yam	Pata Maxus Yamaha
X.Vierge	Yam	Pata Maxus Yamaha
Y.Montella	Duc	Barni Spark
A.Bautista	Duc	Barni Spark
A.Lowes	Bim	bimota by Kawasaki
A.Bassani	Bim	bimota by Kawasaki
S.Chantra	Hon	Honda HRC
J.Dixon	Hon	Honda HRC
S.Manzi	Yam	GYTR GRT Yamaha
R.Gardner	Yam	GYTR GRT Yamaha
S.Lowes	Duc	ELF Marc VDS
L.Baldassarri	Duc	Goeleven
T.Mackenzie	Duc	MGM Racing
G.Gerloff	Kaw	Kawasaki WorldSBK
A.Surra	Duc	Motocorsa
M.Rato	Yam	Motoxracing
B.Sofuoglu	Yam	Motoxracing
A.Iannone	Duc	Cainam Racing