Day 2 at Jerez fortunately saw Day 1’s dreary cloud cover break around midday, allowing limited track time in mixed conditions. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) returned to the track, returning in the style he’s made himself known for at the top of the timesheets. Second fastest was Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), who also made his first appearance at the test after not participating on Day 1. Giving chase in P3, Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) continues to grow in confidence atop his new Yamaha R1 bike, setting the table for what will be a riveting test Wednesday January 28^th in Portimao!

BULEGA BACK IN ACTION: The title contender for the last two seasons already looked up to his usual speed

2024-2025 Riders’ Championship runner-up Nicolo Bulega participated in the test on Day 2 after skipping out on the soaked Day 1; he finished the day with 24 laps completed, his fastest coming during his fourth of five stints and clocked in at 1’39.331s. His teammate, Iker Lecuona was excited to put down more laps no matter the conditions in order to continue to grow with his new team. The #7 finished sixth fastest with a time of 1’39.979s. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) took to the tarmac after sitting out Day 1 and wasted no time getting back to his pacey ways, his 1’39.811s time earning him P4.  While his superstar teammate Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) has soaked up much of the limelight with his arrival to the team, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) emerged as the faster of the two on Day 2, finishing fourteenth-fastest with a time of 1’40.456s compared to Bautista just behind him in P15, just 0.019s slower. Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) finished just behind Bautista in P16 as he and his team celebrated their season launch to open Day 2 in Jerez with a time of 1’40.760s. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team Goeleven) returns to the WorldSBK field, joined by his compatriot rookie Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) on Day 2, clocking in times of 1’41.772s and 1’41.815s to finish P21 and P22 respectively.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER FOR LOWES: #22 made his 2026 debut on Day 2 and closed out the day second fastest

Alex Lowes made his return to the circuit felt on Day 2 as he shot right up the order on his first stint early in the day to the top five, and logged impressive lap after impressive lap to finish the day in P2 with his best time of 1’39.450s, only 0.119s off of Bulega. His teammate Axel Bassani continues to build continuity with Uri Pallares and ends the session in P7 from his 1’40.069s time. Collecting important data on their young KB998 Rimini machine, Bimota test rider Xavi Fores laid down 15 laps on Day 2, with his fastest at 1’41.476s to finish in P20.

VIERGE BUILDING CONFIDENCE IN BLUE: The Spanish star takes top Yamaha honours

Xavi Vierge sang the praises of his new home in Yamaha blue after Day 1, and his Day 2 ended with the Spaniard in P3 thanks to his 1’39.770s effort. In P8 and P9, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) and Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished the day separated by a hair in P8 and P9, thanks to their 1’40.345s and 1’40.347s efforts, respectively. In P19, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) enjoyed his 2026 debut after missing Day 1. The Aussie finished with a best time of 1’41.249s.

REA RETURNS TO HONDA: The #65 debuts on Day 2 as a test rider for the Japanese manufacturer

Winning is a habit, and for Jonathan Rea (Honda HRC Test Team) that habit dies hard, as despite his new role as a test rider for Honda HRC, the Ulsterman claimed the honour of top Honda on the day, landing in P10 thanks to his time of 1’40.442s. Behind him, Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) continues to find his footing with his Honda CBR1000RR-R SP, closing out Day 2 with 31 laps ran, the fastest among them a 1’40.450s to secure 13^th on the timesheets. Further down the order, Honda HRC test rider Tetsuta Nagashima finished in P18 on the day via his 1’41.214s with 39 laps ridden, the third most of all riders on a superbike. Unfortunately for him, inbound Honda HRC rider Somkiat Chantra was unable to compete in the test after suffering an injury to both forearms in a training accident at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit.

A NEW GREEN MACHINE: Gerloff was able to take his first laps with Kawasaki’s new 2026 homologation

Kawasaki’s Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) got his first chance in 2026 to test with his new ZX-10RR Ninja and gave a glimpse of its increased potential as he clocked in the 11^th fastest time at 1’40.445s, just missing the top 10 by three thousandths behind Jonathan Rea.

MAKING HASTE WHILE THE SUN SHINES: BMW’s rider pair seized the opportunity to continue learning their new machines

While initially it seemed that neither 2026 BMW rider would test on Day 2, as the sun broke through the clouds and the opportunity presented itself for nearly dry running on track, both Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) suited up and took to the tarmac to continue their acclimation to the M 1000 RR. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team) finished the day as the German manufacturer’s fastest rider, finishing in P5 with a time of 1’39.836s and 45 laps ridden- some of them ridden on Oliveira’s bike. Oliveira emerged as the faster of the two 2026 riders, finishing in P12 on a 1’40.447s lap, with ‘Petrux’ farther back in P17 on a 1’40.823s lap.

PUTTING IN THE WORK: Oettl got his money’s worth out of the test in Jerez, posting a prolific lap count and impressive times

Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) made the most of both days in Jerez, riding the second-most laps of WorldSSP riders on Day 1, and by far the most on Day 2 with a sum of 54. He led the World Supersport timesheets as well with a time of 1’42.931s.  Behind him, Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) continues to show promise ahead of his sophomore season, clocking the second-fastest time of 1’43.500s. Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing) led for stretches of the day, finishing third-quickest with a time of 1’43.672s. Comprising P4, P5  and P6 for the WorldSSP ranks was Xavi Cardelus (Cerba Yamaha Racing Team), who made his 2026 testing debut with a time of 1’43.812s,  Dominique Aegerter (Kawaski WorldSSP Team), who tested both days with his new team in green and a time of 1’44.501s. and Borja Jimenez (WRP Racing) with a time of 1’45.578s.

Your combined top six from the Jerez Test: Full results here!

1 Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 1’39.331s

2. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.119s

3. Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +0.439s

4. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.480s

5. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team) +0.505s

6. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +0.648s

Testing action returns next week at Portimao! Don’t miss a moment of 2026 race action with the WorldSBK VideoPass!