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Round Seven – Misano – Friday
Nicolò Bulega opened the Misano WorldSBK weekend on top for Ducati, while Can Öncü, David Salvador and Paola Ramos claimed Friday pole honours across WorldSSP, WorldSPB and WorldWCR.
The Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round opened in hot, dry conditions at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, with Friday track temperatures climbing to around 47-48 degrees for the major timed sessions.
This is the seventh round of the 2026 WorldSBK and WorldSSP championships, round five for the new WorldSPB class, and round four for WorldWCR. Across all four categories, Friday produced a clear theme: the title protagonists were immediately in the mix, but Misano’s heat, track limits and tyre demand ensured very little came easily.
WorldSBK
Nicolò Bulega continued his relentless 2026 form by topping both WorldSBK free practice sessions at Misano, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider ending Friday with a 1m32.235s in FP2.
Bulega had already headed FP1 with a 1m32.733s, but the afternoon was the decisive session as most of the field improved in hotter conditions. Team-mate Iker Lecuona made it a factory Ducati one-two, 0.166s behind on a 1m32.401s, despite a Turn 8 crash during FP2.
Iker Lecuona was second quickest on Friday at Misano, despite a Turn 8 crash in FP2.The crash did little to blunt Lecuona’s speed. He rejoined and still ended the day second overall, while also recording the fastest speed trap figure in WorldSBK at 276.2 km/h.
Yari Montella completed the top three on the Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati, his 1m32.811s leaving him 0.576s from Bulega. Montella had spoken pre-event about converting home-round pressure into performance, and his Friday backed that up, particularly as his afternoon programme included a long race-pace run rather than a pure time-attack focus.
Yari Montella was among the main Friday contenders at Misano after completing race-pace work in hot conditions.Sam Lowes was fourth for ELF Marc VDS, making it a Ducati top four, while Axel Bassani put the bimota KB998 Rimini fifth ahead of Alberto Surra’s Motocorsa Ducati and Alex Lowes on the second bimota.
Sam Lowes was fourth fastest on Friday at Misano, keeping himself in the Ducati-led front group.The timing sheet tells the story of Ducati’s current Misano strength. Bulega was fastest through sectors two, three and four, while Lecuona was best in sector one. The combined theoretical ideal across the field was 1m32.132s, only a tenth faster than Bulega’s actual lap, underlining how complete his benchmark was.
Garrett Gerloff continued work with the Kawasaki WorldSBK Team on Friday at Misano.The top ten was dominated by Ducati and Ducati-powered independent entries, with Xavi Vierge the leading Yamaha in tenth. Remy Gardner finished 13th overall for GYTR GRT Yamaha on a 1m33.564s, just 0.010s behind Alvaro Bautista and ahead of team-mate Stefano Manzi and Andrea Locatelli.
Miguel Oliveira returned to WorldSBK action at Misano with ROKiT BMW after his injury layoff.Miguel Oliveira returned to WorldSBK action with ROKiT BMW after injury and placed 17th on combined times, his best lap a 1m33.645s. The Portuguese rider’s stated target had been a clean, crash-free weekend as he rebuilds race fitness.
WorldSBK Combined FP1/FP2 Results
 |
|||
|
Pos |
Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
|
1 |
N Bulega |
Duc |
1m32.235 |
|
2 |
I Lecuona |
Duc |
+0.166 |
|
3 |
Y Montella |
Duc |
+0.576 |
|
4 |
S Lowes |
Duc |
+0.669 |
|
5 |
A Bassani |
Bim |
+0.768 |
|
6 |
A Surra |
Duc |
+0.779 |
|
7 |
A Lowes |
Bim |
+0.867 |
|
8 |
L Baldassarri |
Duc |
+1.020 |
|
9 |
T Mackenzie |
Duc |
+1.093 |
|
10 |
X Vierge |
Yam |
+1.196 |
|
11 |
T Bridewell |
Duc |
+1.283 |
|
12 |
A Bautista |
Duc |
+1.319 |
|
13 |
R Gardner |
Yam |
+1.329 |
|
14 |
S Manzi |
Yam |
+1.365 |
|
15 |
A Locatelli |
Yam |
+1.374 |
|
16 |
G Gerloff |
Kaw |
+1.405 |
|
17 |
M Oliveira |
BMW |
+1.410 |
|
18 |
M van der Mark |
BMW |
+1.592 |
|
19 |
S Chantra |
Hon |
+1.767 |
|
20 |
B Sofuoglu |
Yam |
+2.235 |
|
21 |
R Vickers |
Hon |
+2.458 |
|
22 |
M Rato |
Yam |
+3.308 |
WorldSSP
Can Öncü put Aragon frustration behind him by taking WorldSSP pole at Misano, the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing rider setting a 1m36.755s to secure his third pole position of the season.
Öncü led a Yamaha R9 one-two, with championship leader Albert Arenas second for AS BLU CRU Racing Team, only 0.100s from pole. Valentin Debise completed the front row on the EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory machine, just 0.114s from Öncü.
Can Öncü bounced back at Misano to claim WorldSSP pole position on the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing R9.The margins were typically tight for Supersport. The top three were covered by 0.114s, the top six by 0.349s, and the top ten by just 0.414s.
Philipp Öttl headed row two for Feel Racing WorldSSP Team, ahead of Italian pair Matteo Ferrari and Alessandro Zaccone on Ducati Panigale V2 machinery. Zaccone arrived at Misano with momentum after his breakthrough WorldSSP win at Aragon, while Ferrari again looked capable of being in the front group.
Albert Arenas qualified second in WorldSSP Superpole at Misano, just a tenth from pole.Oli Bayliss was eighth for PTR Triumph Factory Racing, 0.364s from pole, and also topped the speed trap classification at 244.3 km/h, tied with Jaume Masia. Bayliss was particularly strong through sector three, where he ranked fourth.
Masia, one of Arenas’ key championship threats, had to settle for tenth on the grid after setting his best lap late in the session. That leaves him with work to do on Saturday if he is to cut into Arenas’ points advantage.
The session was interrupted by several incidents. Oliver König crashed early at Turn 16, Corentin Perolari went down at Turn 4, Lucas Mahias ran through the gravel at Turn 15, and Hector Garzo’s heavier Turn 11 crash brought out a late red flag before the session restarted.
Matteo Vannucci completed the WorldSPB front row at Misano with third in Superpole.From the sector sheet, Öncü was strongest at the beginning and end of the lap, topping sectors one and four. Arenas was quickest in sector two and Debise in sector three, suggesting the front-row fight could be more even over race distance than the headline pole margin suggests.
WorldSSP Tissot Superpole
|
1 |
C Oncu |
Yam |
1m36.755 |
235.8 |
|
2 |
A Arenas |
Yam |
+0.100 |
237.9 |
|
3 |
V Debise |
ZXM |
+0.114 |
238.9 |
|
4 |
P Oettl |
Duc |
+0.267 |
243.8 |
|
5 |
M Ferrari |
Duc |
+0.294 |
240.5 |
|
6 |
A Zaccone |
Duc |
+0.349 |
238.9 |
|
7 |
T Booth-Amos |
Tri |
+0.359 |
238.9 |
|
8 |
O Bayliss |
Tri |
+0.364 |
244.3 |
|
9 |
M Casadei |
Duc |
+0.376 |
238.4 |
|
10 |
J Masia |
Duc |
+0.414 |
244.3 |
|
11 |
F Farioli |
Yam |
+0.447 |
238.9 |
|
12 |
S Jespersen |
Duc |
+0.451 |
234.3 |
|
13 |
F Caricasulo |
ZXM |
+0.476 |
237.9 |
|
14 |
R Garcia |
Yam |
+0.608 |
240.0 |
|
15 |
J Whatley |
Duc |
+0.627 |
237.9 |
|
16 |
A Mahendra |
Yam |
+0.641 |
236.3 |
|
17 |
L Mahias |
Yam |
+0.671 |
234.8 |
|
18 |
D Aegerter |
Kaw |
+0.678 |
237.9 |
|
19 |
J Alcoba |
Kaw |
+0.893 |
236.3 |
|
20 |
K Zannoni |
Duc |
+0.946 |
236.8 |
|
21 |
H Garzo |
Duc |
+1.001 |
239.5 |
|
22 |
R De Rosa |
QJM |
+1.041 |
236.3 |
|
23 |
C Perolari |
Hon |
+1.124 |
238.9 |
|
24 |
M Ramirez |
QJM |
+1.316 |
236.3 |
|
25 |
O Vostatek |
Tri |
+1.425 |
238.4 |
|
26 |
B Jimenez |
Duc |
+1.659 |
243.8 |
|
27 |
L Taccini |
Duc |
+1.677 |
238.4 |
|
28 |
A Kofler |
Yam |
+1.691 |
234.8 |
|
29 |
A Giombini |
MVA |
+1.750 |
240.5 |
|
30 |
J Cretaro |
MVA |
+1.886 |
238.4 |
|
31 |
Y Okamoto |
Yam |
+2.108 |
233.3 |
|
32 |
X Cardelus |
Yam |
+2.206 |
233.3 |
|
33 |
O Konig |
Tri |
+2.469 |
235.3 |
|
34 |
A Carrasco |
Hon |
+3.134 |
234.8 |
WorldSPB
David Salvador continued his run of Superpole form in WorldSPB, taking his third consecutive pole position with a 1m42.280s for Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI.
David Salvador and Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI celebrate a third consecutive WorldSPB pole position.The championship leader arrived at Misano with a 13-point advantage and strengthened his Saturday starting position with a lap 0.137s faster than local wildcard Filippo Bianchi. Bianchi’s performance was one of the standout stories of the session, as he qualified second despite crashing at Turn 4.
Matteo Vannucci completed the front row on the Revo-M2 Aprilia RS 660 Factory, 0.380s from pole, while Australian Carter Thompson qualified a strong fourth for Team BrCorse.
Valentin Debise put the ZXMOTO on the WorldSSP front row at Misano, while team-mate Federico Caricasulo also featured in the Friday mix.Thompson’s 1m42.713s was his best Superpole result of the season and put him only 0.433s from pole. More importantly for race prospects, the sector data showed the Australian was fastest of all through sector four, where he recorded a 22.545s. That closing split could be important if the opening race turns into the usual Sportbike scrap.
Bruno Ieraci and Jeffrey Buis completed the second row, ahead of Elia Bartolini, Antonio Torres, Fenton Seabright and Julio Osuna.
The session was messy in places. Cal Harris crashed at Turn 2 and was later listed as not qualified after only two laps, while Bianchi crashed at Turn 4 and Thompson crashed late at Turn 16 after already securing his front-row-challenging time.
Taiyo Aksu qualified 14th on the PATA AG Motorsport Italia Honda CBR600RR, the team having switched from Yamaha machinery for this round. Aksu’s lap was 1.334s from pole, and his sector sheet suggested his strongest part of the lap was sector three, where he ranked 15th.
Salvador’s pole lap was built on his opening half of the circuit. He was fastest through sectors one and two, while Bartolini topped sector three and Thompson sector four. The overall ideal was 1m41.865s, suggesting there was still a chunk of time left on the table across the field.
WorldSPB Tissot Superpole
|
1 |
D Salvador |
Kaw |
1m42.280 |
211.4 |
|
2 |
F Bianchi |
Apr |
+0.137 |
210.1 |
|
3 |
M Vannucci |
Apr |
+0.380 |
213.0 |
|
4 |
C Thompson |
Yam |
+0.433 |
208.9 |
|
5 |
B Ieraci |
Tri |
+0.478 |
211.4 |
|
6 |
J Buis |
Suz |
+0.499 |
211.4 |
|
7 |
E Bartolini |
Tri |
+0.574 |
213.9 |
|
8 |
A Torres |
Kaw |
+0.605 |
212.6 |
|
9 |
F Seabright |
Tri |
+0.632 |
210.5 |
|
10 |
J Osuna |
Kaw |
+0.877 |
208.9 |
|
11 |
X Artigas |
Kaw |
+0.934 |
211.4 |
|
12 |
A Fuertes |
Kaw |
+1.007 |
210.1 |
|
13 |
B Fernandez |
Kov |
+1.183 |
211.8 |
|
14 |
T Aksu |
Hon |
+1.334 |
208.5 |
|
15 |
F Fleerackers |
Suz |
+1.386 |
210.5 |
|
16 |
L Veneman |
Kaw |
+1.432 |
211.8 |
|
17 |
M Gaggi |
Yam |
+1.466 |
213.0 |
|
18 |
K Beekmans |
Suz |
+1.641 |
206.5 |
|
19 |
T Benetti |
Apr |
+1.759 |
213.0 |
|
20 |
J Risueno |
Kaw |
+1.761 |
211.8 |
|
21 |
A Di Persio |
Yam |
+1.765 |
210.5 |
|
22 |
G Sanchez |
Yam |
+1.845 |
210.9 |
|
23 |
I Peristeras |
Apr |
+1.969 |
208.1 |
|
24 |
H Maier |
Yam |
+1.978 |
208.1 |
|
25 |
M Gennai |
Yam |
+2.199 |
210.5 |
|
26 |
F Mulya |
Yam |
+2.223 |
214.3 |
|
27 |
G Cazard |
Yam |
+2.272 |
208.5 |
|
28 |
J Correa |
Kaw |
+2.342 |
210.1 |
|
29 |
M Sorrenti |
Apr |
+2.362 |
206.5 |
|
30 |
H Dessoy |
Tri |
+2.458 |
208.5 |
|
31 |
A Agaska |
Yam |
+2.593 |
212.6 |
|
32 |
T Sovicka |
Yam |
+3.739 |
206.1 |
|
33 |
A Zanca |
Kov |
+3.770 |
204.5 |
|
NQ |
C Harris |
Yam |
+6.931 |
204.5 |
WorldWCR
Paola Ramos delivered the headline result in WorldWCR, the Spanish rookie taking her first pole position with a new Superpole lap record of 1m47.718s.
Ramos is racing at Misano for the first time in WorldWCR, and her result carried extra symbolism given she uses #58 in tribute to Marco Simoncelli. She was the only rider to break the 1m48s barrier and did so against the two leading title contenders.
Championship leader Maria Herrera qualified second for Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR, 0.289s from pole, while Beatriz Neila completed the all-Spanish front row, 0.327s behind Ramos and only 0.038s behind Herrera.
That sets up a strong Saturday contest, with Herrera and Neila separated by only 14 points in the title race heading into round four.
Roberta Ponziani qualified fourth for Klint Racing Team, 0.423s from pole, while Italian wildcard Joy Bruno impressed on home soil by placing fifth for Team Trasimeno, only 0.018s behind Ponziani.
Karolina Danak secured sixth for Prata Motor Sport, her best Superpole performance of the season, ahead of Yvonne Cerpa, Muklada Sarapuech, Chloe Jones and Justine Pedemonte.
Australian Taylor Relph qualified 14th for Full Throttle Racing, 2.217s from pole. Her ideal lap was a 1m49.651s, 0.284s better than her actual best, so there was some time left in the lap even if the front group was a significant step away.
The sector sheet pointed to a tightly-matched front group. Ramos was fastest through sector one, Herrera through sectors two and three, and Neila through sector four. Sarapuech topped the speed chart at 194.2 km/h, while Ramos and Herrera both recorded 193.2 km/h.
The outright ideal lap across the session was 1m47.240s, almost half a second beneath the pole time, which suggests Saturday’s race could be more open than Ramos’ headline margin alone indicates.
WorldWCR Tissot Superpole
|
1 |
P Ramos |
Yam |
1m47.718 |
193.2 |
|
2 |
M Herrera |
Yam |
+0.289 |
193.2 |
|
3 |
B Neila |
Yam |
+0.327 |
189.5 |
|
4 |
R Ponziani |
Yam |
+0.423 |
192.9 |
|
5 |
J Bruno |
Yam |
+0.441 |
190.8 |
|
6 |
K Danak |
Yam |
+1.336 |
190.8 |
|
7 |
Y Cerpa |
Yam |
+1.470 |
192.9 |
|
8 |
M Sarapuech |
Yam |
+1.533 |
194.2 |
|
9 |
C Jones |
Yam |
+1.932 |
192.9 |
|
10 |
J Pedemonte |
Yam |
+2.030 |
184.9 |
|
11 |
S Sanchez |
Yam |
+2.046 |
193.2 |
|
12 |
N Rivera |
Yam |
+2.112 |
187.8 |
|
13 |
E Bondi |
Yam |
+2.136 |
192.2 |
|
14 |
T Relph |
Yam |
+2.217 |
188.2 |
|
15 |
P Ruiz |
Yam |
+2.438 |
192.2 |
|
16 |
A Madrigal |
Yam |
+2.671 |
189.8 |
|
17 |
L Vieillard |
Yam |
+3.115 |
189.8 |
|
18 |
I Carreno |
Yam |
+3.216 |
191.8 |
|
19 |
A Ourednickova |
Yam |
+3.651 |
192.2 |
|
20 |
P Sowa |
Yam |
+3.664 |
188.5 |
|
21 |
A Barale |
Yam |
+3.866 |
188.8 |
|
22 |
M Dobbs |
Yam |
+4.150 |
188.2 |
|
23 |
L Michel |
Yam |
+4.454 |
190.1 |
|
24 |
K Hand |
Yam |
+4.470 |
188.2 |
|
25 |
D Dal Zotto |
Yam |
+4.532 |
189.5 |
|
26 |
G Lewis |
Yam |
+9.283 |
186.5 |
Saturday programme
WorldWCR opens the race action at midday local time, followed by WorldSBK Race 1 at 1530. WorldSSP and WorldSPB also move from Friday qualifying into the first races of their Misano weekends, with front-row track position likely to be particularly valuable given the heat, tyre load and track-limits pressure already evident on Friday.
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 |
Portimao |
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 |
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