With 2026’s dour preseason testing conditions up until now, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) had still managed to top two of the four days of testing so far; yet the lack of dry running left a sense of mystique in the air about the upcoming 2026 season. Day 1 of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship finally brought with it dry conditions, and despite a lack of time atop his new bike, Bulega showed out at the track he dominates, topping both of the day’s sessions.

MAKING IT LOOK EASY: Phillip Island’s all time lap record holder was logging laps in the 1’29s with ease

Free Practice 1 saw the #11 open his throttle, and for the rest of the day, the Italian kept the hammer down. Of his 39 laps, 16 were within the 1’29s range, a pace which only one rider was able to hit, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), for a single lap. On the fifth of his six stints, when he recorded the day’s best time of 1’29.451s, Bulega averaged a time of 1'29.985s. Even including his final four-lap stint to close the session, his average comes out to 1’30.073. If that average were a lap time recorded by another rider, it would have still placed them third on the timesheets. Bulega has been stunning at Phillip Island in years past, and with his FP1 times, there is little to suggest that will change in 2026.

BACK-TO-BACK FOR BULEGA: “It’s not a bad way to start the week”

FP2 was no different for the Italian phenom; he raised the bar even higher in the afternoon session, shaving his time even further down to a 1’29.400s. The only rider within spitting distance of the #11 was his compatriot Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) on his KB998 Rimini. ‘El Bocia’ still found himself more than a quarter of a second back from ‘Bulegas’, and most troubling for the #47 and the rest of the grid was the consistency with which he was finding such times.

On his Day 1 at Phillip Island, Bulega said: “It’s not a bad way to start the week, it’s important t o start like this especially when you have a new bike. During this winter, we didn’t try anything because of the weather, so today was the first true day of testing. It was important to ride a lot, I did a lot of laps, so I’m happy, we did a great job and started very well.”

PUTTING THE WORK FIRST: “Today I started very well, but I think it’s still early to say anything about this weekend”

Bulega holds the standing WorldSBK record times for a lap at Phillip Island, breaking the existing record with a 1’27.916s lap in the Tissot Superpole back in 2024. It stands as the only time in the 1’27s range ever recorded at the track on WorldSBK machinery. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) have ridden well here in the past; they will need to find something substantial to be able to contest Bulega this weekend.

On what he would like to see change with his bike, and his view of the upcoming clash this weekend, Bulega said: “I’m quite happy with the setup, but not in every area, so we have to try to improve some parts of the bike with the setting. I think that’s quite normal, given this is the first day of serious testing. Let’s try to improve for the weekend. I don’t know if I’m the favourite, but this is my favourite track. Last year I had a hat trick and won my debut WorldSBK race here. Today I started very well, but I think it’s still early to say anything about this weekend.”

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