Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) might be a rookie but eyes will already be turning to him after yet another impressive testing performance in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. As the majority of the paddock headed to the south of Spain and the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, it was the reigning WorldSSP Champion who stole the headlines. He lapped more than a second clear and was close to the outright lap record after utilising the SCQ tyre to full effect in the final hour of the day, while teammate Alvaro Bautista was down in tenth.

MIXED FEELINGS: Bulega storms to top spot as Bautista scrapes into the top ten

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) stormed to the top of the times on day one as he posted a 1’38.292s using Pirelli’s SCQ tyre, with his fastest time coming in the final hour of the day, shortly before he had a small technical issue. Bulega, who completed 71 laps, finished 1.5s clear of teammate Alvaro Bautista down in tenth, with the reigning Champion on track for the first time following the injuries he sustained in testing here in November. The #1 was also looking at how best to minimise the impact of the ballast he’ll need to use with the new weight rules that come into effect for 2024. In terms of Independent Ducatis, Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) was seventh with 67 laps to his name as he continued understanding the Panigale V4 R, while Danilo Petrucci (BARNI Spark Racing Team) was ninth with a 1’39.773s. The #9 was trying a lower seat to help improve the centre of gravity and find performance benefits from this with Petrucci completing 66 laps. The final Independent Ducati rider was Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in 15^th place as he continues his adjustment from Moto2™ to WorldSBK. His best was a 1’40.133s as he completed 82 laps.

ALEX LOWES LEADS KRT CHARGE: second despite only recording a handful of laps

Despite feeling unwell and only completing 31 laps, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was able to take second place. His 1’39.474s was enough to finish as the lead Kawasaki rider as he tried new components, and will at Portimao next week, including front and rear suspension items, electronics, seat positions and fuel tank. Teammate Axel Bassani finished in 14^th place after setting a 1’40.059s as he continued adjusting to the ZX-10RR and its inline-4 engine configuration, with the #47 completing 77 laps. The sole Independent Kawasaki rider, Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was three places and five tenths behind Bassani, with the Spaniard using a factory bike leased from KRT in the hope that more data will help take forward steps more quickly.

A STRONG DAY FOR BMW: Razgatlioglu and van der Mark both make the top four…

It was a busy but impressive day for BMW with 10 bikes and six riders to get data from, with the test team in attendance alongside the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and Bonovo Action BMW squad. Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed third with a 1’39.521s, lapping quicker today than he did in either Race 1 or Race 2 with Yamaha during the round here in October, as he went in search of a good setup on his M 1000 RR, while also looking for improvements with the electronic setup. Teammate Michael van der Mark was fourth, only 0.010s down on the #54. For the test team, Bradley Smith and Sylvain Guintoli rounded out the field but added a combined 111 laps to the German manufacturer’s total for the day. Both Razgatlioglu and van der Mark completed more than 70 laps as they finished in the top four.

Next door at the Bonovo Action BMW squad, Garrett Gerloff took eighth as he tested new parts while also hoping to look at Razgatlioglu’s strategy under braking and for the engine brake. The American completed 73 laps and posted a best time of 1’39.763s for P8, while teammate Scott Redding was in 13^th. The Brit, who also had new parts, set a best time of 1’40.042s and completed 56 laps.

GARDNER ON TOP AT YAMAHA AGAIN: evenly matched with Rea on day one

Yamaha enjoyed a solid day on day one with two riders inside the top ten. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was the lead Yamaha rider in fifth place after the Australian set a 1’39.679s and completed 83 laps, making him one of the busiest riders on track. He was just 0.003s clear of six-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) in sixth, with the Northern Irishman completing 72 laps on his way to a best time of 1’39.682s. Rea’s teammate, Andrea Locatelli, narrowly missed out on a spot in the top ten as he worked with new crew chief Tom O’Kane for the first time, and adding 72 laps to Yamaha’s total as he set a 1’39.917s. Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) was 12^th on his first outing on the Yamaha YZF-R1 following his switch from Team GoEleven, just a tenth behind Locatelli. Elsewhere at Yamaha, GRT Yamaha’s Dominique Aegerter didn’t complete any laps on day one. A suspected viral infection ruled him out of action, and he will be re-assessed tomorrow.

LOTS TO BUILD ON: both Honda riders outside the top ten…

Honda featured just two riders at the test, with Team HRC’s Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge flying the flag for the Japanese manufacturer. Lecuona completed 52 laps on his way to 16^th place as he set a 1’40.379s while Vierge was two places and almost four tenths back from his teammate. The pair were continuing to adjust to the new CBR1000RR-R machine as they look to refine it.

FOUR MANUFACTURERS IN THE TOP FOUR: nothing to keep the lead WorldSSP riders apart…

In WorldSSP, several riders were testing at Jerez alongside the WorldSBK stars. The World Supersport field was led by Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) as the German posted a 1’42.015s to claim P1 ahead of Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) with just a tenth separating the two. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was third as he took to the track on his ZX-6R featuring upgrades, while the Turk was also building up fitness following surgery on his arm over the winter. He was only 0.015s behind Manzi, while Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) completed the top four.

The top ten from day one, full results here:

1 Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’38.292s, 71 laps

2. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’39.474s, 31 laps

3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’39.521s, 74 laps

4. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’39.531s, 72 laps

5. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 1’39.679s, 83 laps

6. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) 1’39.682s, 72 laps

7. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) 1’39.664s, 67 laps

8. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) 1’39.763s, 73 laps

9. Danilo Petrucci (BARNI Spark Racing Team) 1’39.773s, 66 laps

10. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’39.847s, 68 laps

Catch up on all the day’s action right here and follow the 2024 campaign in style using the WorldSBK VideoPass!