The second day of the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship private test at the Circuito de Jerez – Ăngel Nieto saw improving conditions, giving teams and riders a better opportunity to evaluate machinery and gather data ahead of a second private test at Portimao on January 28-29. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.It Racing â Ducati) made his first appearance of the season count, topping the timesheets with a 1â39.331.
Key points from Day 2
- Aruba.it Racing â Ducatiâs Nicolo Bulega and Iker Lecuona both made strong impressions. Bulega dominated with a 1â39.331, the fastest lap of the session, while Lecuona steadily improved in his second outing, finishing sixth fastest with a 1â39.979 over 26 laps despite a minor crash at Turn 5.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing â Ducati)
âFor the first test, it wasnât so bad, honestly, but the weather was a problem. The track had a lot of wet patches, so it wasnât very useful, I only managed 20 laps. The last time I rode a bike before winter was a MotoGP, so I used these laps to get the feeling of the Superbike back. My first impression of the new Ducati is good; I already tried it here last October. It feels positive, but itâs still a new bike, so we need to keep going and do more laps.â
- Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) showed competitive speed aboard the KB998 Rimini. Lowes finished second with a 1â39.450, just 0.119s off Bulega, completing 16 laps. Bassani finished seventh in 1â40.069, contributing valuable feedback to the 2026 programme.
- Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) delivered the top Yamaha performance with a 1â39.770, finishing third and completing 34 laps focused on consistency and setup.
- Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) rounded out the top four with a 1â39.811, improving steadily over 27 laps and working on early-season baseline checks.
- ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team focused on development. Miguel Oliveira (1â40.447) and Danilo Petrucci (1â40.823) completed 29 and 19 laps respectively, gathering crucial early-season data on the new M 1000 RR. Test rider Michael van der Mark added extra mileage with 45 laps, finishing fifth fastest in 1â39.836 and supporting BMWâs refinement of both race and development setups.
- Other notable performers: Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) showed strong pace on his new ZX-10RR, finishing 11th in 1â40.445. Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) continued Hondaâs winter development programme, ending 13th in 1â40.450 across 29 laps. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) ended the day 23rd with a 1â41.772 over 43 laps. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) also made his WorldSBK testing debut, completing his first laps on the Ducati Panigale V4R.
Day 2 results:
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1â39.331s
2. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.119s
3. Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +0.439s
4. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.480s
5. Michael van der Mark (BMW Test Team) +0.505s
6. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing â Ducati) +0.648s
