Phillip Island, Australia – Nicolo Bulega of Aruba.it Racing – Ducati continued his dominant form at the Australian track, topping both free practice sessions on as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship conducted its official test. Bulega set the pace in both FP1 and FP2 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, leaving the rest of the field trailing in his wake.
The Italian rider, who secured three wins to close out the 2025 season, demonstrated his early intent for 2026, finishing nearly half a second ahead of Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) in second and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in third.
Bulega Leads, Baldassarri Impresses: A Strong First Day for the Championship Leader
Bulega began FP2 with a long run, consistently posting fast lap times culminating in a best of 1’29.101, solidifying his top position. He had previously set a 1’29.131 in FP1. His teammate, Iker Lecuona, was focused on familiarizing himself with the Ducati Panigale V4R and finished eighth half a second behind Bulega. Sam Lowes’ FP2 was interrupted by a crash in the first sector with approximately 20 minutes remaining, but he maintained second place overall with a time of 1’29.382 set in FP1.
Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) posted a late flyer to secure fifth place overall with a time of 1’29.482, just 0.002 seconds ahead of Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) in sixth, who continued to impress upon his return to the track.
Bimota in the Mix: Lowes and Bassani Secure Second and Fourth
Alex Lowes was the first rider to improve his lap time compared to FP1, initially taking provisional first place in FP2 with a 1’29.354 before being overtaken by Bulega. However, the Bimota rider lost valuable time towards the end of FP2 after a fall in Turn 4, though he was able to remount. Teammate Axel Bassani reinforced Bimota’s strong showing, posting a 1’29.468 in FP2, placing him fourth just a tenth of a second behind Lowes.
Keeping the ZX-10RR in the Top Ten: Gerloff Maintains Pace
American rider Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) continued his strong performance in Australia, securing a place within the top ten. He finished ninth recording a 1’29.692 in FP1 and a 1’29.699 in FP2, demonstrating consistent pace throughout the day.
Adjustment Ongoing: Oliveira 10th, Petrucci 12th for BMW
Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was the leading BMW rider on , finishing tenth with a time of 1’29.746 in FP1. Danilo Petrucci was two places behind with a 1’29.834, as both riders continue to adapt to the M1000RR.
Yamaha Hoping for Improvements: Vierge Leads the Blue Fleet
Yamaha experienced a challenging start to the season, with Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) narrowly missing out on the top ten, finishing eleventh with a time of 1’29.806 as the fastest rider from the Japanese manufacturer. Teammate Andrea Locatelli struggled with inconsistencies during the two-day official test, finishing fifteenth after a lap of 1’30.060. Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was more than a tenth of a second ahead of teammate Remy Gardner in eighteenth and nineteenth, respectively, with the latter still recovering from a broken arm and dislocated shoulder sustained during training at the end of last year.
Bahattin Sofuoglu (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) finished twentieth after a crash in Turn 4 during FP2. The rider with the number 54 clocked a 1’30.786, beating his teammate Mattia Rato, who completed the Italian contingent in the WorldSBK field.
Difficult Day for Honda: Vickers 16th, Nagashima 17th
Honda had a difficult start to the season, with wildcard rider Ryan Vickers (Honda HRC) and Tetsuta Nagashima (Honda HRC) finishing sixteenth and seventeenth, respectively.
The top six from WorldSBK practice sessions are as follows:
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’28.858
- Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.496s
- Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.524s
- Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.610s
- Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.624s
- Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +0.626s
The Tissot Superpole and the first race of 2026 are scheduled for ! Follow all the action starting at 10:00 local time (UTC+11) with the WorldSBK VideoPass!
