Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) cemented his status as the rider to beat in Australia as he claimed top spot on Day 1 of the Official Test at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. The #11 completed a hat-trick at the historic circuit last year and was around half-a-second quicker compared to his times from the test in 2025 as he laid down a marker for his rivals to chase.

BULEGA SETS THE PACE: Quick and consistent, Independent riders rise to the top

Bulega was fastest in both sessions on Monday in Australia. In FP1, he was the first rider to lap in the 1’29s and that was the case again in FP2 as he continued working on the new-for-2026 Panigale V4 R machine. His best time of the day was a 1’29.345s, set right at the end of FP2. Teammate Iker Lecuona was further down the order, in 12th place, although his plan today was just to rack up the laps and get comfortable with his new bike. His best time was a 1’30.586s, set in the afternoon session. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) suffered a technical issue in FP1 and a crash in FP2, but he was able to post a 1’29.907s in the second session to claim third place overall, around half-a-second down on Bulega’s time. It was an impressive start to the week for Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), who claimed fourth overall with a 1’29.921s; a time that was good enough for P2 in FP1. Likewise, Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) claimed seventh place, but his 1’30.275s – also set in FP1 – put him in the top four in that session. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) had a crash at Turn 5 but that didn’t stop him finishing in the top eight with a 1’30.297s; with both his spill and the time coming in FP2. Rookie Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) was 15th overall, directly ahead of Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Racing Performance).

BASSANI IMPRESSES: ‘El Bocia’ second overall on Monday

The two Bimota riders starred on Monday. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) was the lead rider, setting a 1’29.636s in FP2 to claim second in that session and overall as he spent the afternoon checking some items and setup for the race weekend. Teammate Alex Lowes was sixth on the combined timesheets, with the #22 immediately quicker in FP1 than he went in the same session last year, posting a 1’30.259s as the Italian manufacturer enjoyed a positive start ‘Down Under’.

POSITIVE SIGNS FOR GERLOFF: Fast in both sessions

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) enjoyed a strong start to his day as he finished fifth in FP1 with a 1’30.284s and with 35 laps under his belt as he put the new ZX-10RR machine through its paces. That continued in FP2 as he racked up another 37 laps and finished in fourth place in FP2 and fifth in the combined times with a 1’30.015s.

VIERGE LEADS YAMAHA CHARGE: The #97 takes P9, Locatelli dwindles in 18th

Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) continued to impress as he works on his adaptation to the Yamaha R1 following his winter switch from Honda. The #97 was the fastest of the six Yamaha riders on Day 1, finishing in ninth place with a time of 1’30.420s which he set in FP1. Teammate Andrea Locatelli was left down the order with a 1’31.159s, taking 18th place. Rookie Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) had a crash at Turn 6 in FP1, but the Italian was soon back on track, and he set his best time in FP2 with a 1’30.623s as he took 13th. Teammate Remy Gardner, like Manzi, improved his time in FP2 to a 1’31.350s but this put him 21st in the combined classification. Elsewhere, Bahattin Sofuoglu (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was 17th despite a strong start in FP1, while teammate Mattia Rato rounded out the WorldSBK field. Both Sofuoglu and Rato had falls at Turn 4 during the afternoon session.

DIXON IN THE TOP TEN: Decent showing for the #96

Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) is Honda’s sole permanent race rider in Australia as teammate Somkiat Chantra continues to recover from surgery. The #96 narrowly missed out on a spot in the top ten in FP1 after being demoted to 11^th by Oliveira, with Dixon posting a 1’30.655s in the opening session. In FP2, he set a 1’30.492s to finish tenth overall. For the Official Test and the Australian Round, the Brit is joined by Tetsuta Nagashima, with the Japanese rider finishing in 19^th after setting a 1’31.175s and Ryan Vickers, wildcarding for the Honda HRC squad, directly behind the Japanese rider with just 0.080s separating them.

OUTSIDE THE TOP TEN: Oliveira, Petrucci aim to move up the order on Tuesday

Rookie Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was the lead BMW rider on Day 1 in Australia as he posted a 1’30.563s in FP2, finishing in 11^th place and just a tenth outside the top ten. Teammate Danilo Petrucci was around two seconds off the pace in FP1 but closed that gap at the start of FP2 with a 1’30.648s, which, combined with Bulega’s late pace, left him 1.3 seconds down on his compatriot.

The top six from Day 1 at Phillip Island, full results here:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 1’29.345s, 72 laps
2. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.291s, 61 laps
3. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.562s, 68 laps
4. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.576s, 69 laps
5. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) +0.670s, 72 laps
6. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.914s, 58 laps

THE FUTURE IS NOW: Get set for the opening round of 2026 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!