Recapping this week’s two-day WorldSBK Test at Jerez

WorldSBK Jerez Test
November 26-27, 2025

Most of the 2026 WorldSBK contingent were on track for two days of testing at Jerez this week, but absent from this outing were the likes of Ducati riders Nicolo Bulega and Iker Lecuona.

While the GYTR squad were in attendance with Stefano Manzi, they were without Remy Gardner, who was sidelined by a shoulder injury sustained in a recent training incident.

We are unsure of who slotted in soft rubber to set a benchmark, but at the end of the test, it was Bimota’s Alex Lowes on top with a 1m37.824. That compares to the 1m37.587s set by Nicolo Bulega during testing late last month. 

Alex Lowes

“We had a positive day. The track was really cold this morning with some damp patches, especially at T8 and a little bit in the last corner. We took our time before we went on track but even though we started at 11.30 we still managed to set 76 laps. We continued the work we started in the test after the last race and also tried a few things, and a more ideas. We had some good stuff with the electronics. Sander, my electronics guy, has been working hard and we tried a couple of new things to help in corner entry, to give me some confidence. They were good. I think, overall, comparing the last race of 2025 to now we have made some steps forward. We have to be careful, because the track conditions at Jerez change so much and the track is really grippy, so the lap times are fast. This means we cannot get too excited but I do think we have made the bike a little bit better since the last race, which was our target. Now we can focus on the January tests and keep trying to move the project forward. Overall, I am really happy.”

Alex Lowes

Pere Riba – Crew Chief for Alex Lowes

“Our test was positive. On day one we tested all day with Xavi Fores and we confirmed many of the items that we wanted to. Xavi was as fast as he had ever been at Jerez, which was very good. When we started with Alex it was very positive. You have to be careful in winter testing when you try new items because the track is cool and it performs well, because of the temperature. We tried some things for the 2026 spec and Alex left the test with a good smile on his face. This is the most important thing. It seems like we have made a step forward in the overall package. He finished the test as the fastest rider, and with a good feeling. Overall, it was positive. Now we have a short break, then Christmas time, and we will enjoy being at home for a little bit. But, we are already focused on the January tests where we have something to keep us working.”

Alex Lowes

Second quickest this week was new Yamaha recruit Xavi Vierge with a 1m38.058s ahead of Michael van der Mark. The Dutchman was the fastest of the BMW contingent in his new role as test rider while Vierge continued to learn his way around the YZF-R1M after spending recent seasons astride a Fireblade.

Xavi Vierge

Andrea Locatelli ended the first day fastest overall, a good step from his new teammate in second, and spent the second day working through a considerable “to do” list of new development items delivered by Yamaha’s engineers. Times for both riders tumbled as track conditions became more favourable on Thursday, with Locatelli finishing just behind new team-mate Vierge.

Xavi Vierge

Andrea Locatelli

“It was a good test, but today the conditions of the track were changing quickly – different even compared to yesterday, but I think what we did around the bike was very positive. I was able to take a confident feeling and ride a good rhythm. A positive day, we know that the colder conditions help us a bit – it is not really hot like it was during the race weekend – but we understood a lot. Now we have a clearer direction to try to take another step in January. The lap time and in general the performance, we know it’s quite good but my approach is a bit conservative as we won’t know for sure until we try at a different circuit and in different conditions. We tried a lot of different parts and new setting direction, working especially on the rear to improve the grip and check back-to-back. I have a new Crew Chief working with me inside the box, Guilio and I are still learning each other but overall it is working well and I am happy!”

Andrea Locatelli

Andrea Locatelli ranked fourth on combined times ahead of new BMW recruit Danilo Petrucci.

Paul Denning – Team Principal – Pata Maxus Yamaha

“It’s been a very solid test, pretty cold but considering it’s the end of November really great weather for the past two days here in Jerez. We got through a huge amount of work with both of the riders – a completely new recruit, Xavi Vierge, and Andrea Locatelli who goes into his sixth year with us in Pata Maxus Yamaha. No accidents and no durability problems, so we’ve been able to really focus on development and testing a lot of new items that Yamaha has delivered for us to be able to take an important step in 2026. Xavi continues to impress after only his third day ever on the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK – second-quickest overall, just two-tenths off the fastest time and setting his own personal fastest ever lap times around Jerez both on race tyres and on the qualifying tyre. Consistent rhythm, great feedback – a happy rider and happy team! We haven’t faced any major challenges together so far and we’re loving having him as part of the group. Loka of course already knows the R1 inside and out, and was given a lot of new development items to try. He also performed very well with a best time on the race tyre also in the 1’38s, and matched his qualifying time from the race last month. A lot of good work completed, including progress made in generating rear grip and turning which are two areas we really wanted to improve. Also, the electronics engineers have worked on some new strategies to assist with smoother control for the riders. Testing is tough on the team with five bikes in the pit box shared between two riders and components being swapped side-to-side, and they’ve all done a brilliant job.”

Xavi Vierge

Danilo Petrucci recorded a 1m38.470, three-tenths shy of van der Mark, but that is a good starting point for the hugely experienced Italian as he adapts to the German machinery.

Danilo Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira are BMW’s prime strikeforce for the 2026 WorldSBK season

This test was the first opportunity to see Uri Pallarès and Axel Bassani working together. Pallarès will be the Italian rider’s new crew chief for 2026.

Axel Bassani

Axel Bassani

We did one day of testing at Jerez and I felt a little sick so after two or three laps of each pitlane exit I started to feel it. But, we did a lot of laps, 73, and we completed a lot of work. We tried some new items and it was also my first time working with Uri, my new crew chief. The test at Jerez was quite positive and the pace was not bad. Similar to some others. Sure, we need to improve a lot but the start point is not bad. Now there is the winter break so we can relax a bit before we start testing again in January.”

Axel Bassani

Uri Pallares – Crew Chief for Axel Bassani

“This was the first day of Axel and I working together and it takes time for him to get to know me, and for me to understand his request for what he needs to go fast on the bike and his way he provides feedback. But, I am quite happy because we followed the test plan and we worked a little bit with different balances on the bike. I have to say that today Axel was not in his best physical condition because he had a fever. After two or three laps he lacked some energy, so he struggled a little but with that. But, he did a very good job and, as always, he stayed with a full commitment to work. At the end we were both happy with how things went and we have some ideas for January. It is just the start. I enjoyed working with him a lot, and all the guys. Overall, I am happy. This is just the beginning but we can take some positives. I feel we are on a good way.”

Uri Pallarès and Axel Bassani

Marcel Duinker also took part in the test in his new role as Track Engineer, supporting the racing activities of bimota and Kawasaki with his extensive engineering skills and experience.

Stefano Manzi continued his adaptation to the Superbike machinery in what was only his second test with the Yamaha R1. The 2025 WorldSSP Champion posted his best lap in 1’39.442 (lap 84), placing him seventh overall and giving the team a solid base of data.

Stefano Manzi

Stefano Manzi

“First of all, I’d like to send my best wishes or a quick recovery to Remy! Then, talking about the test, it was nice to be back on the bike and to complete two solid days of testing. I’m continuing to get used to the Yamaha R1 and to the whole crew around me, which is really positive. Just like in the first test, the main goal was to put in laps and build feeling with the bike, and I think we made some good progress. Unfortunately, we’ll now have to wait until next year before getting back on track, but that’s actually a good thing: we’re doing a good job, and we’re all looking forward to what’s next. We know we need to take things step by step and stay patient. For now, I’ll enjoy a bit of rest and keep training hard to be fully ready for 2026!”

Stefano Manzi

Adapting to the BMW WorldSBK this week was Miguel Oliveira, the long-term MotoGP rider putting in plenty of laps across the two days before finishing with a best of 1m38.891 to rank ninth on the combined timesheets.

Miguel Oliveira and Michael van der Mark

The quickest of the Honda contingent was MotoGP exile Somkiat Chantra.

Chantra with his crew chief Tetsuya Sasaki

The Thai rider bested regular HRC Test rider Tetsuta Nagashima and new recruit Jake Dixon. Honda’s BSB riders also joined the action.

Somkiat Chantra

“It was very nice for me to take part in this first test with the Honda HRC team. We worked on many things together, and I also focused on myself, trying to learn the bike and understand the tyres. We completed many laps to understand everything step by step, and each day we were able to improve, which made me really happy because everything we tried brought something positive. My main goal now is to do more laps and build my feeling with the CBR, especially under braking and when stopping the bike, which is still a bit difficult for me at the moment, but with more time I’m sure the confidence will come. The GP bike and the CBR1000RR-R are very different, but in this test we already tried to work with the power in a way that feels a bit more similar to what I was used to, and today it went in a good direction. We just need more time to continue working, and overall I’m very happy with the test and with the support from the team.”

Somkiat Chantra

Both Dixon and Chantra completed over a hundred laps each across the two days, including some long runs, beginning to build confidence with their respective machines and crews. This was the main target of the test and allowed the riders to provide their initial feedback to the engineers, focusing mainly on ergonomics, electronics, general setup and riding confidence.

Jake Dixon

Jake Dixon

“It has been a really good first test for me as a Honda HRC rider. It feels great to be back on a big bike again and having that power is really nice, but it’s also a massive learning curve. I had a couple of crashes while trying to understand everything and figure out exactly how things work, which sometimes just happens. Even so, I couldn’t be happier with the team – they are fantastic, incredibly professional, and it’s the first time I’ve had so many people working around me, which is really nice. I’m just going to need some time to adapt. This bike demands respect, and I’m learning every minute because if you don’t respect her, she bites. Still, it has been a great two days: I completed a lot of laps, including long runs, and we worked a lot with the hardest tyre. I didn’t try a qualifying tyre; we stuck with the hard option, and that’s how we ended the test. Coming from Moto2, adapting to a WorldSBK machine is honestly crazy different, especially with how much you can change on the electronics compared to what we have in Moto2. I need more time to learn how to extract that one fast lap, but in terms of rhythm I’m not too bad. I’m looking forward to continuing this journey and progressing as a World Superbike rider.”

Dixon worked with his crew chief Tom Jojic

Also on track this week was Taiyo Furusato on a Moto2 machine. The Japanese rider recorded a 1m40.232.

The quickest of the World Supersport riders this week was Kawasaki’s Jeremy Alcoba, ahead of Honda’s Corentin Perolari and Ducati’s Matteo Ferrari. Only two-tenths covered that trio.

Jeremy Alcoba

“I am happy with the test after some days of ‘reset’ after the end of the season. I did not expect to be as fast as I was so, yes, I am happy with the work. We worked a lot with the SCX tyre on day one, because the weather was nice. At the end the grip was super-good. Day one was more windy and Thursday had nicer weather. We started to feel some chatter, like the bike was pushing the front, but then the team did a really good job when they worked on that. We did not do a lot of laps, but I think this was more of a test for quality than quantity. I am happy because in the laps that we did we found all the problems and all the solutions, and we tested all the things that we needed to. At the end, we finished with a good lap time and good pace.”

After ‘riding solo’ with Alcoba in 2025, the Kawasaki WorldSSP Team has expanded to include double FIM Supersport World Champion Aegerter for 2026, with each rider competing on the Ninja ZX-6R 636. Aegerter used the two days to refamiliarise himself with the smaller capacity machinery. It was also the first time the Swiss rider had ridden in earnest since suffering a training accident that caused him to miss the final races of the recent WorldSBK season.

Dominique Aegerter

“We had two days of testing with the Kawasaki WorldSSP Team and I needed some laps to get used to riding a Supersport bike again. It was not so easy to go back from WorldSBK to WorldSSP and I needed some laps to get used to the engine, braking points and the racing lines. They are quite different. The feeling with the team was great and for me they are all new people. So, first you have to get a little bit of connection and confidence with them. Also with the electronics guy and the data guy, we need to see how they work, how I work, what I need to adapt in my riding style to the bike and what they can change on the bike to adapt it to my riding style. After six or seven weeks off of a bike, because I broke a metacarpal bone in my hand, I felt a little bit stiff this morning. But, it was good to have a test now in November, because there are a lot of things to do. Now we have some data to work on. For me, this test was positive. And I am now really looking forward to training at home, having a small holiday, a little break and then be fully motivated and ready for 2026. I will give my best. A big thanks to the team because they made a great job, worked well and I am happy to ride for the Kawasaki WorldSSP Team.”

Dominique Aegerter

Now the traditional winter break from track action begins, with most riders returning to action for another test at Jerez, between 21-22 January 2026.

The first competitive round of the new FIM Superbike World Championship season will be at Phillip Island in Australia, between 20-22 February.

WorldSBK Jerez Test Times
November 26-27, 2025

1. Alex Lowes – Bimota 1m37.824
2. Xavi Vierge – Yamaha 1m38.058
3. Michael van der Mark – BMW 1m38.125
4. Andrea Locatelli – Yamaha 1m38.135
5. Danilo Petrucci – BMW 1m38.470
6. Axel Bassani – Bimota 1m38.585
7. Stefano Manzi – Yamaha 1m38.607
8. Miguel Oliveira – BMW 1m38.891
9. Xavi Fores – Bimota 1m39.201
10. Somkiat Chantra – Honda 1m39.495
11. Tetsuta Nagashima – Honda 1m39.610
12. Jake Dixon – Honda 1m39.808
13. Twan Smits – Yamaha 1m40.350
14. Ryan Vickers – Honda 1m40.654
15. Jason O’Halloran – Honda 1m41.577

WorldSSP Jerez Test Times
November 26-27, 2025

1. Jeremy Alcoba – Kawasaki 1m42.167
2. Corentin Perolari – Honda 1m42.218
3. Matteo Ferrari – Ducati 1m42.382
4. Dominique Aegerter – Kawasaki 1m43.492
5. Luke Stapleford – Ducati 1m43.585
6. Dirk Geiger – ?? 1m43.716
7. Riccardo Rossi – Ducati 1m43.957
8. Ana Carrasco – Honda 1m44.077
9. Petr Svoboda – Ducati 1m44.696

2026 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship calendar

2026 World Superbike Championship Entry List