The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has hit the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, Andalucia for the final round of the 2026 campaign. It’s a weekend of goodbyes to some, potential farewells to others and a chance to end the year on a high for everyone in the Pirelli Spanish Round. Read the best from Thursday’s debriefs below.
“I WILL ALWAYS STAY IN CONTACT WITH THIS TEAM, AND I’LL BE THEIR BIGGEST FAN NEXT YEAR”
Previewing his final round in WorldSBK, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) said: “It’s very emotional as it’s my last weekend here with WorldSBK and with my team. I remember a lot of things over these years. The last round of the season is always special, but this year, it will be even more special. I had my first WorldSSP test here back in November 2021, after several years, we now close the circle here in WorldSBK. It’s been an amazing five years. It’s very emotional because I think about all the good things over the last five years with this team. Luckily, it’s been more nice moments than bad moments. There were very good years here in WorldSBK with this team. It will be the last race, but I will always stay in contact with this team, and I’ll be their biggest fan next year. Every year is different, honestly, I have a good feeling on this track: I won the WorldSSP title, I had my first Moto3 pole and podium here as well as winning WorldSBK races in 2024 and 2025. It’s a good track for Ducati, so, I hope to be fast this year too. My birthday is on Friday, the best gift for me will be to finish the season strong and fast this weekend.”
“AFTER THE RACE I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE SOME TIME TO BREATHE AND SEE WHICH OPTIONS I HAVE FOR MY FUTURE”
Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) spoke about his home round, potentially his last in WorldSBK. He said: “It's been a really, really tough season for me, for my team, because we didn't achieve the target we wanted to. In fact, we weren’t close to the target. Jerez is a fantastic track, I love it. I raced here for many, many, many years. I’ve had good and bad results here, but I always try to keep only the positive. The last time I raced here, I had good memories because we did really well; it was a strong weekend. We've arrived here with the mentality to keep pushing and to keep working because our performance was good. If I can enjoy the bike as I did at Estoril, it would be nice to end the season with a podium. The front two are a bit far away from the rest, but the fight for the podium is always difficult because there are a lot of riders fighting for it. At the moment, all I have assured is this weekend, so I will try to enjoy it, and then I will see. After the race I would like to take some time to breathe and see which options I have for my future. It has to be something that motivates me to keep racing. At the moment I feel good physically and mentally. I still have performance, as we showed in Estoril and I think if I can get a good feeling with the bike, I can be fast and fight for top positions again.”
“AT THE MOMENT, EVERYTHING IS OPEN… I NEED A BIT OF TIME TO REST AND UNDERSTAND WHICH IS THE BEST OPTION”
Speaking about what could be his final round in WorldSBK, Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) said: “I’m feeling good. I’m honestly happy to be here at Jerez, where we started our journey with BMW last November. It’s my last race with them, which isn’t very nice, but we have nothing to lose. We’ve done a reset and we’ll use the bike as it was in November. It’s my last round with BMW; I don’t know if it’s my last round in WorldSBK. As a factory rider, it will be. I don’t have a result in mind. This year’s been really tough. I had a lot of expectations, but it was difficult to reach those results. I just want to enjoy it. I don’t know what I’ll do next year. At the moment, everything is open. I still have a couple of opportunities to race in WorldSBK next year. I don’t know if it’s good or not. I have another opportunity in another championship, then I have many things to continue at home. I have a lot of pain in my body. I want to enjoy what I did in my career, and I think I need a bit of time to rest and understand which is the best option.”
“I KNOW IT’LL BE A HARD WEEKEND FOR ME; I ALWAYS STRUGGLE AT JEREZ”
Ahead of his home round, Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) stated: “I’m happy and excited to finish an amazing season for me and my team. I know it’ll be a hard weekend for me, because I always struggle a lot at Jerez and I’ve had a lot of injuries here. It’s similar to Australia. My first big crash was here at Turn 12. I hurt my arm, the collarbone, the vertebra… and I crashed there again in my first test in WorldSBK. I broke my hand. Not my fault and I crashed and broke my foot at Turn 6. I don’t want to say beating Bulega is impossible because nothing is impossible, but it will be even harder than Estoril. He loves it and goes very fast. I don’t like it so much. I think 2026 has been 9 out of 10 for me. I don’t want to put a 10 because of Australia and the crash at Donington, the races at Misano… we could’ve done better. I think 9 because I had almost no crashes, when I need to push, I know when and why, so I didn’t take the extra risk like before. I’ve learnt a lot.”
“EVERYONE HAS DONE A GOOD JOB… THAT’S WHY IT FEELS PAINFUL; THERE’S NOTHING WE HAD LEFT TO TRY”
Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) has his final round in blue on home soil. He said: “I’m very excited as always, it’s a great pleasure to be able to finish the season at home. It was the first circuit where I rode the R1. The feeling has been great since the very first moment. It looks like we’ll have at least the first days of the weekend in very good weather conditions. I’ll just try to enjoy and be as fast as possible. It’s been a very difficult year for us. The expectations have been high looking back at what Yamaha achieved in the last seasons and in the first test we did together here at Jerez. The expectations were quite high. Then, as soon as the season started, we saw that the step everyone else was making, we weren’t making it. So, we started to suffer quite a lot. It's true that in some circuits we showed a little bit of speed, but not enough consistency to be there. It's very emotional because since the beginning we started working together and it looked like we knew each other for a long time. Unfortunately, the results didn't arrive. The relationship is very good. I think everyone has done a very good job. That's why it feels painful because there's nothing we had left to try. We didn't find enough speed, but it is what it is.”
“SINCE THE HUNGARIAN ROUND, I’VE HAD A VERY GOOD FEELING… I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT WITH THE BIKE”
Heading into Jerez on the back of three podiums at Estoril, Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) said: “At Estoril I had my best feeling of the season so far. Jerez is a difficult circuit for me and my riding style, but after Cremona and Estoril, I feel like I have very high potential on my bike with my team. I’m confident, but it will be difficult, my riding style isn’t the best for these long corners. I’ll go step by step and lap by lap. I’m happy with my rookie season so far, I scored my first points in Australia, then had some difficult moments at Portimao and Assen. Since the Hungarian Round, I’ve had a very good feeling. I want to thank my team for their hard work because now I feel very confident with the bike.”
“I’LL TRY TO BEAT SAM… OTHERWISE IT’LL BE A LONG WINTER WITH HIM TALKING IN MY EAR!”
Discussing his battle with twin brother Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) said: “This year’s gone so fast, I can’t believe we’re already here for the last round of the Championship. It’s a track that everybody enjoys. Me and Sam are always joking about who’s in front. This year, he’s done well and had a lot more podiums than me. I’ve been a bit more consistent. He’s made a few mistakes, so has Montella and so have I in the last few rounds. I know it’s a good track for Sam, he’s won a couple of Moto2 races here, but I’ll try to beat him… otherwise it’ll be a long winter with him talking in my ear! I could’ve done better in a few situations, certainly, I’ve let a couple of good results get away. At the same time, we’re on the limit every race. I’m really happy with the job we’ve done, and Axel’s done a fantastic job. We’re both close in the Championship. Honestly, I’d rate my season an 8. I’m not getting any younger, but the motivation is still there. I’m happy at the racetrack, and it helps to have this team around me. I’ve had better years in terms of podiums and results, but I’ve enjoyed this year.”
“THE TOP MOMENT WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST PODIUM IN AUSTRALIA, AND ALSO THE WEEKEND AT DONINGTON”
This year’s Best Independent Rider, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), spoke about his fight for P3 in the standings: “I feel a bit surreal after Estoril, where we won the Best Independent Riders’ title. I feel a bit relaxed, and I have a 53-point advantage over P4. I’d like to put my focus on riding without thinking about points. It’s not a situation I could’ve imagined! Last year, we finished in P18. This year, we’re fighting for P3. It’s something unbelievable. The top moment was probably the first podium in Australia, and also the weekend at Donington. I have a lot of support, because I have my family and my girlfriend’s family here! It’s going to be strange because I’m Italian, but in the last year, I've lived near here. I’m a bit Jerezano!”
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