many of the WorldSBK field’s riders hung around in southern Spain to get an early jump on their 2026 to-do lists. While Phillip Island is still just under four months away to the day, it’s never too early to lay a baseline down to look for a direction to take the bike’s development. In the case of some teams like Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) and his factory Ducati outfit, not only do they have a new teammate to get up to speed, but on top of that, an entirely new bike, as they’re preparing a new homologation for 2026

STARTING OUT STRONG: Bulega was fastest in Day 1 by almost a second, while Lecuona’s time places him P7 in his first-ever ride on the 2026 Panigale V4 R

With Toprak Razgatlioglu departing the paddock, the title of rider-to-beat falls squarely on the shoulders of 2025 Championship runner-up Nicolo Bulega. Aiding him in his play for the crown in 2026, he’ll benefit from the new 2026 model Panigale. He’s tested on the bike before and looks to be settling in nicely as he topped the timesheets with his 1’38.027s time. Joining him in the paddock starting in 2026, Iker Lecuona looks forward to his first season as a Ducati factory rider. The Spaniard seems to be settling in quickly, as his 1’39.520s time earned him P7.

STRONG SHOWING FOR YAMAHA: 4 out of the 5 riders in the top five were R1 riders 

Sporting several new faces across the three teams which run the R1, Yamaha performed well on the day, especially as the track dried up. While Bulega’s pace was untouchable at the front, he was pursued by a squad of riders in blue, as apart from the #11 in P1, second through fifth place were all Yamaha R1s. Fastest among them was Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha), who finished with a best time 1.110s off of the #11, ahead of inbound WorldSBK rookie and defending 2025 WorldSSP Champion Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) on account of his 1’39.349s time. Now the only Turkish rider in the paddock, Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) stepped up his game on Day 1 to finish P4 thanks to his 1’39.433s time. 2025’s top Yamaha rider, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha), looks as though he may have some friendly competition as his 1’39.479s time placed him P5, fourth-fastest of the six Yamaha riders. Still not 100% after his Race 1 crash in Pirelli Spanish Round, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) called it a day after 16 laps to finish ninth-fastest with a time of 1’39.695s. Mattia Rato (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) ran a considerable 67 laps in his debut with the Yamaha R1, pacing P13 on a 1’41.243s lap.

VAN DER MARK HOLDING DOWN THE FORT: Without either of their 2026 riders available, van der Mark debuted as a test rider for the German manufacturer

Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) only had a single day off before he started his new job with the manufacturer he represented for five seasons. From now on, the Dutchman will be riding for the team as a test rider. His first day in the new role saw him lay down 57 laps, his fastest among them a 1’39.492 to sit sixth place.

GERLOFF REUNITED WITH A FAMILIAR FACE: The American took to the track for the first time since being reunited with his former crew chief

Gerloff finished Day 1 of the Jerez test in P8 thanks to his 1’39.689s time, more than a second faster than the fastest lap of his Race 1 in the season’s final race. His running was limited in the morning due to the weather, but based on his times, he looks to be enjoying the company of his new Crew Chief Les Pearson, who worked with the Texan in the past during the #31’s time with Yamaha and BMW.

FORES RIDES FOR BIMOTA: The Spanish test rider laid down 58 laps

As Bimota’s sole representative, Xavi Fores put in a solid day’s work for the manufacturer, which will be returning for its sophomore season. The test rider finished in P12 with a fastest time of 1’40.452s.

A SOLE TEST RIDER FOR HONDA: Perolari gets a taste of the CBR 1000 RR-R

WorldSSP rider Corentin Perolari (Honda Racing World Supersport) rode for Honda as, similar to BMW, both of their inbound 2026 riders are busy, but, unlike BMW and van der Mark, their current riders each have new seats they’re riding on full-time next season. As such, the French rider worked hard, laying down a 1’41.158s time to sit P13 on the timesheet

OETTL AND JESPERSEN PUT IN THE WORK AT JEREZ: The German and the Dane were WorldSSP’s sole ambassadors

Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) is looking forward to his second season back in WorldSSP after an injury-hampered opener to the 2025 season. He was the faster of the pair, a 1’42.632s lap the fastest of his 65 laps. Simon Jespersen (EAB Racing Team) took advantage of the time on-track to settle in with his new team; the Danish rider clocked a 1’43.907s time.

The top six from the Jerez Test Day 1: Full results here!

1 Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 1’38.027s

2. Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +1.110s

3.  Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +1.322s

4. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) +1.406s

5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +1.452s

6.  Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +1.456s

Peruse the expansive catalogue of races from 2025’s action-packed season and further in the past with the WorldSBK VideoPass!