Riders strapped up their boots and rolled onto the tarmac for the final Sunday Warm Up session of the Pirelli Spanish Round and the 2026 campaign. Clouds hung over the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, Andalucia on Sunday morning, but overcast weather wasn’t enough to prevent Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) from taking the top position in the day’s opening session.
Bulega is looking to close out his final day in the WorldSBK paddock in the same dominant fashion, and he started strong with a 1’37.907s time for P1. Four hundredths behind him, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) took the same result as in Race 1, finishing in P2 ahead of Bulega’s factory Ducati teammate Iker Lecuona. The #7 was outpaced by four hundredths as well, and he will look to retake his habitual P2 spot in his home round.
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) opened the day in P4 and will hope to improve in the final two races of the season. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) finished as the top rider not riding a Ducati Panigale V4R, three tenths off Bulega and two tenths off Lecuona in P3. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) took to the track in the Warm Up for what might be his last dance in the WorldSBK paddock on Sunday. He finished P6, and with more reps on the SCQ tyre under his belt, he will be shooting for nothing short of the podium.
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) snagged P7 over half a second back from the #11 in P1Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) made it two Bimota KB998 Rimini bikes in the top eight as he finished the morning’s session two places behind his British teammate. Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) saw his Race 1 end early with the issue, but he and his team look like they have found the issue as they placed ninth in the Warm Up. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) fell back to P14 in Race 1, and he will hope his Warm Up session P10 culminates in a step on Sunday.
Top six from the WorldSBK Warm Up session: Full results here!
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 1’37.907s
- Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.047s
- Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +0.088s
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.258s
- Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.317s
- Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.329s
Tune in to the first of 2026’s final two races this season, starting with the Tissot Superpole Race at 11:10 (Local Time UTC +2) with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now just €4.99!