WorldSBK, Sportrik Media - The opening day of the 2026 Official Phillip Island WorldSBK Test concluded with Nicolo Bulega setting the pace across both Free Practice sessions and the combined standings at Phillip Island, Australia.
The Aruba.it Ducati rider confirmed his strong pre-season form by topping FP1 before improving further in FP2, ending the day with a best lap of 1:29.345. He was the only rider to consistently lap deep into the 1m29s range, reinforcing his status as a leading contender heading into the 2026 campaign.
Several incidents occurred throughout the day, including early crashes for Alvaro Bautista and Sam Lowes, while Bahattin Sofuoglu, Mattia Rato and Ryan Vickers also went down during the sessions. Despite interruptions, track conditions remained stable, allowing teams to complete significant mileage.
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS/LAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | Nicolo BulegaAruba.it Ducati | 1:29.451 Italy | |
2 |  | Yari MontellaBarni Spark Racing Team | +0.470 Italy | |
3 |  | Axel Bassanibimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | +0.788 Italy | |
4 |  | Lorenzo BaldassarriTeam Goeleven | +0.824 | |
5 |  | Garrett GerloffKawasaki Team | +0.833 USA | |
6 |  | Alex Lowesbimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | +0.835 United Kingdom | |
7 |  | Alvaro BautistaBarni Spark Racing Team | +0.882 Spain | |
8 |  | Xavi ViergePata Maxus Yamaha | +0.969 Spain | |
9 |  | Sam LowesELF Marc VDS Racing Team | +1.030 United Kingdom | |
10 |  | Miguel OliveiraROKiT BMW Motorrad Team | +1.169 Portugal | |
11 | | Jake DixonHonda HRC | +1.204 Inggris | |
12 |  | Iker LecuonaAruba.it Ducati | +1.310 Spain | |
13 | | Alberto SurraMotocorsa Ducati | +1.580 | |
14 |  | Tarran MackenzieMGM Optical Express Racing | +1.641 United Kingdom | |
15 |  | Bahattin SofuogluMotoxracing Team | +1.665 Turkey | |
16 | | Stefano ManziGYTR GRT Yamaha Team | +1.892 | |
17 |  | Andrea LocatelliPata Maxus Yamaha | +1.934 Italy | |
18 |  | Remy GardnerGYTR GRT Yamaha Team | +2.003 Australia | |
19 |  | Danilo PetrucciROKiT BMW Motorrad Team | +2.083 Italy | |
20 |  | Tetsuta NagashimaHonda HRC | +2.092 Japan | |
21 |  | Ryan VickersHonda HRC | +2.097 United Kingdom | |
22 | | Mattia RatoMotoxracing Team | +3.398 |
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS/LAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | | Nicolo BulegaDucati | 1:29.415 Italy |
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS/LAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | | Nicolo BulegaAruba.it Ducati | 1:29.345 Italy | |
2 | | Axel Bassanibimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | +0.291 Italy | |
3 | | Sam LowesELF Marc VDS Racing Team | +0.562 United Kingdom | |
4 | | Garrett GerloffKawasaki Team | +0.670 USA | |
5 | | Alex Lowesbimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | +0.914 United Kingdom | |
6 | | Lorenzo BaldassarriTeam Goeleven | +0.935 | |
7 | | Alvaro BautistaBarni Spark Racing Team | +0.952 Spain | |
8 | | Yari MontellaBarni Spark Racing Team | +1.143 Italy | |
9 | | Jake DixonHonda HRC | +1.147 Inggris | |
10 | | Xavi ViergePata Maxus Yamaha | +1.178 Spain | |
11 | | Miguel OliveiraROKiT BMW Motorrad Team | +1.218 Portugal | |
12 | | Iker LecuonaAruba.it Ducati | +1.241 Spain | |
13 | | Stefano ManziGYTR GRT Yamaha Team | +1.278 | |
14 | | Danilo PetrucciROKiT BMW Motorrad Team | +1.303 Italy | |
15 | | Alberto SurraMotocorsa Ducati | +1.757 | |
16 | | Andrea LocatelliPata Maxus Yamaha | +1.814 Italy | |
17 | | Tetsuta NagashimaHonda HRC | +1.830 Japan | |
18 | | Tarran MackenzieMGM Optical Express Racing | +1.833 United Kingdom | |
19 | | Ryan VickersHonda HRC | +1.910 United Kingdom | |
20 | | Remy GardnerGYTR GRT Yamaha Team | +2.005 Australia | |
21 | | Bahattin SofuogluMotoxracing Team | +2.606 Turkey | |
22 | | Mattia RatoMotoxracing Team | +3.215 |
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS/LAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | | Nicolo BulegaAruba.it Ducati | 1:29.345 Italy | |
2 | | Axel Bassanibimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | +0.291 Italy | |
3 | | Sam LowesELF Marc VDS Racing Team | +0.562 United Kingdom | |
4 | | Yari MontellaBarni Spark Racing Team | +0.576 Italy | |
5 | | Garrett GerloffKawasaki Team | +0.670 USA | |
6 | | Alex Lowesbimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | +0.914 United Kingdom | |
7 | | Lorenzo BaldassarriTeam Goeleven | +0.930 | |
8 | | Alvaro BautistaBarni Spark Racing Team | +0.952 Spain | |
9 | | Xavi ViergePata Maxus Yamaha | +1.075 Spain | |
10 | | Jake DixonHonda HRC | +1.147 Inggris | |
11 | | Miguel OliveiraROKiT BMW Motorrad Team | +1.218 Portugal | |
12 | | Iker LecuonaAruba.it Ducati | +1.241 Spain | |
13 | | Stefano ManziGYTR GRT Yamaha Team | +1.278 | |
14 | | Danilo PetrucciROKiT BMW Motorrad Team | +1.303 Italy | |
15 | | Alberto SurraMotocorsa Ducati | +1.686 | |
16 | | Tarran MackenzieMGM Optical Express Racing | +1.747 United Kingdom | |
17 | | Bahattin SofuogluMotoxracing Team | +1.771 Turkey | |
18 | | Andrea LocatelliPata Maxus Yamaha | +1.814 Italy | |
19 | | Tetsuta NagashimaHonda HRC | +1.830 Japan | |
20 | | Ryan VickersHonda HRC | +1.910 United Kingdom | |
21 | | Remy GardnerGYTR GRT Yamaha Team | +2.005 Australia | |
22 | | Mattia RatoMotoxracing Team | +3.215 |
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS/LAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | | Nicolo BulegaDucati | 1:27.916 (2024) Italy | |
2 | | Nicolo BulegaDucati | 1:28.564 (2024) Italy |
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS/LAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | DucatiNicolo Bulega | 1:28.824 Italia | |
2 | | BMWToprak Razgatlioglu | 1:28.918 | |
3 |  | YamahaAndrea Locatelli | 1:29.783 Jepang | |
4 | | BimotaAlex Lowes | 1:29.859 | |
5 |  | HondaXavi Vierge | 1:29.924 Monaco | |
6 | | KawasakiGarrett Gerloff | 1:30.768 |
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