With the holiday break in the rear-view mirror, Day 1 of testing at Spain’s Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, Andalucia marked the first event of the new year. New bikes, new faces and new liveries were on display as day by day the hype grows for February 20^th and the season debut down under at Australia’s Philip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was the fastest on opening day, followed on the timesheets by former teammate Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and new teammate Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) on a rain-soaked day which limited the field’s pace and time on track.

DYNAMIC DUO: Petrucci and Oliveira look to be adapting quickly to their new BMW machines

Danilo Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira both look to be progressing quickly as they are both learning the ropes of their BMW M 1000 RR bikes ahead of their first season with the team. ‘Petrux’ was the fastest of the bunch on Wednesday in Jerez as a thunderous second stint saw him lay down a 1’52.976s lap, a time that held atop the timesheet for the remainder of the session. Day 1’s dour weather wasn’t going to stop Oliveira from coming to understand his new bike as he ran the most laps of any rider with 31. His hard work appears to be paying off, as his 1’54.260s time saw him land third-fastest of the session. Former rider and current test rider for the German factory team, Michael van der Mark, also made a late appearance, running 11 laps.

MONTELLA DRIVES DUCATI FORWARD: The Italian Independent sophomore rider finished as the fastest rider riding machinery from the storied Italian brand

Despite his team’s superstar signing of Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) who replaces Danilo Petrucci in 2026, it was Yari Montella who finished the fastest of the Ducati riders. Approaching his second season in WorldSBK, the #5’s time of 1’54.194s was the only time a Ducati rider set within two seconds of the #9. Behind Montella, Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) was the sole rider for the factory Ducati side as Nicolo Bulega didn’t participate. Lecuona finished in fifth with a time of 1’55.605s, having run only 14 laps. Bautista made his debut with Barni Ducati leathers, his 1’56.770s lap clocked as the fastest of his 18 recorded, earning him P8. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) continues his preparations for his rookie season in WorldSBK after a standout replacement ride in the second half of the WorldSSP season last year. Surra’s 1’58.634s lap landed him 15^th fastest, just ahead of WorldSSP’s Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team), who ran 18 laps as a test rider for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati.

MANZI MAKES DAY 1 COUNT: 2025’s WorldSSP Champion continues to shine on a superbike

Finishing in P4, Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was the fastest among the Yamaha riders thanks to his 1’55.044s time, and he ran the second most laps of all riders present on Day 1. Behind him, with the seventh fastest time, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) ran a fastest lap of 1’55.935s, missing P6 by a mere 0.018s. The next rider in blue down the order was Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha). He continues to make inroads with the team after making the switch following the conclusion of the 2025 season and his four years with Honda. The #97’s 1’57.784s time placed him 12^th fastest on the order.

BIMOTA BACK FOR MORE: Test rider Xavi Fores was the fastest on the day for the Italian manufacturer

After their first season back in WorldSBK after over a decade, bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team continues to dial in their setup ahead of the 2026 season. It was the team’s experienced test rider Xavi Fores who recorded their fastest time of 1’55.917s on his 17^th of his 23 laps to sit sixth fastest. Further down the order in P13, Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) continues to work with his new crew chief, Uri Pallares. His best lap of the day clocked in at 1’57.830s, while his teammate Alex Lowes did not participate in the test.

DIXON CARRIES THE DAY FOR HONDA: The former Moto2 rider shows growing confidence with his team

With his teammate Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) ruled out of the test after suffering a training injury, Jake Dixon was the only permanent rider representing Honda HRC. The British rider put down his fastest time on the last of his 16 laps, a 1’57.108s effort to place ninth-fastest. Tetsuta Nagashima rode as a test rider for Honda HRC and put in a hard day’s work in the wet, riding 27 laps, third of all riders present.

KAWASAKI’S LONE STAR: Texan rider Garrett Gerloff enjoyed more time atop his new bike and more experience with his crew chief

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) has some extra help in 2026 as he’s been reunited with former Crew Chief Les Pearson, who he hopes will help him take a step as he moves into his second season in green. The WorldSBK and WorldSSP teams in green celebrated their season launch event to start the day. The rainy conditions hampered his and the rest of the grid’s ability to push, however the 26 laps he put down will help him to get a feel for his new 2026 ZX-10RR Ninja bike. His time of 1’57.916s earned him 14^th-quickest on Day 1.

ALCOBA SHINES AT HOME: The Spanish rider shows that his rookie season success was no fluke, as his time outpaced even several WorldSBK riders

Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) looks to be locking in for his sophomore season as he finished fastest of all WorldSSP riders with his time of 1’57.205s. His new teammate Dominique Aegerter was next on the WorldSSP order, closing the day with a time of 1’59.986s. Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing) seized the opportunity on Day 1 to get more acclimated to the bike, and of his 16 laps, he finished with a time of 2’04.119s, third-quickest among the 2026 WorldSSP riders. Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) was one of the last riders to leave the track, riding the second most laps behind Aegerter. Oettl was fourth-fastest of the bunch, his 2’04.770s time outpacing Borja Jimenez (WRP Racing) and his 2’12.354s time as the Spaniard looks to take on WorldSSP this season.

The top six from Day 1 at Jerez! Full results here.

1. Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’52.976s
2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +1.218s
3. Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +1.284s
4. Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +2.068s
5. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +2.629s
6. Xavi Forés (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Test Team) +2.941s

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