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The excitement is palpable in southern Spain as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s riders take to the track to set themselves up for success in this upcoming season. After a wet and dreary Day 1 rain continued to fall overnight, but as the sun continues to rise over the Spanish Circuit, gaps are appearing in the cloud cover overhead! Teams hope that Day 2 will allow for more progress than the limited running on Day 1! Stay tuned down below to see all the developments on track! Get the full picture of yesterday’s Day 1 takeaways, a session which was headed by Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), chased by sophomore sensation Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) who prepares to join from the MotoGP paddock. Track action is set to kick off at 10:00 local time (UTC +2) and continue until 18:00! Stay up to date as the drama unfolds below!

LIVE FROM THE CIRCUIT: Follow the test with live timings!

17:40 – As the track remains empty with time left in the session winding down, we will conclude our live coverage, be sure to tune back in next week Wednesday 28^th at 10:00 (UTC +2) for more live coverage of the WorldSBK test at Portimao!

17:15 – British rider Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) is making a late move back onto the track, he sits in P13 with a time of 1’40.450 and 30 laps ridden so far

17:01 – The track remains empty as some riders have begun to pack it up here in Jerez with rain continuing to fall on the circuit

16:25 – Michael van der Mark has currently ridden the most laps of riders on a superbike with 45, followed by Baldassarri with 43 and Honda HRC Test rider Tetsuta Nagashima with 39

16:05 – Locatelli takes a spill on Turn 4 as he currently sits in P8 with a time of 1’40.345s 

15:56 – with clouds gathering around the circuit once again, rain may again play a factor on the test here in Jerez

15:42 – Bulega a lap later follows his teammate into the gravel on the same Turn 5, rider fine as well, currently back in his box as rain drops are being reported falling on pit lane

15:39 – currently sat in P6, Iker Lecuona has crashed at Turn 5, the rider is ok, and has returned to his box for the time being

15:30 – Joining forces in 2026 with Axel Bassani, Uri Pallares looks to help the young Italian reach his full potential after splitting ways with Pata Maxus Yamaha following Jonathan Rea's retirement

15:23 – Gerloff currently leads the Barni Ducati pair from P8, a mere 0.011s ahead of the sophomore Montella. He participated in the test on Day 1 but only rode laps on his 2025 machine as he sought to get the rust off after the holiday break; now on Day 2 it appears as though he's taking a spin on his new 2026 ZX-10RR Ninja 

15:20 – Farther down the order, Oettl currently leads the WorldSSP field with his 1’43.232s time slotting him four tenths of a second ahead of Matteo Ferrari

15:16 – Xavi Vierge has supplanted Stefano Manzi for P5 with his 1’40.225s lap, with it, taking possession of top Yamaha honors for the time being

15:13 – The #22 briefly siezed P1 with his 1’39.464s time until moments later when Bulega rang in a 1’39.331s lap to claim dominion once again over P1 on his 21st lap of the day

15:08 - With Alex Lowes' appearance on track, Day 2 has seen the full cadre of Bimota riders unlike in Day 1, including test rider Xavi Fores. Lowes currently sits in P3 (1'40.182s) ahead of Bassani in P6 (1'40.444) and Fores in P14 (1'41'476s)

15:01 – Your top four are currently Bulega in P4, van der Mark P3, Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) P2, and Lecuona at the top of the order with a time of 1’40.033s but don’t go anywhere! The weather continues to improve and it has the looks that the riders want to throw the kitchen sink at this test to get the most out of the half day!

14:52 – BMW Factory riders Oliveira and Petrucci have emerged on track as the cloudy weather continues to break, #9 sits currently tenth-fastest with a time of 1’41.131, and Oliveira has clocked in at P18 thanks to his 1’41.793s

14:45 – Currently back in the box, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) has ridden eight laps across two stints to land him fifth fastest

14:38 – On his second stint of the day, Gardner is making his 2026 debut on Day 2 after he didn’t participate in Day 1 and currently sits in P17

14:20 – 2025 Riders’ Championship runner-up Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) makes his 2026 debut on track, joining his former teammate Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) and current teammate Iker Lecuona

14:03 – Of the WorldSSP ranks, Oettl currently leads, but he has been recently joined on track by two-time World Champion Dominique Aegerter (Kawaski WorldSSP Team), Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing), Xavi Cardelus (Cerba Yamaha Racing Team), Borja Jimenez (WRP Racing Team) and Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team).

13:59 – Hoping to take advantage of the comparatively drier weather this afternoon, Jake Dixon (Honda HRC), Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) all have taken to the tarmac and will use a half-day of testing here on Day 2

13:57 – With spirits high after their teams’ season launch earlier this morning, Scotsman Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) balloons himself up the order on a 1’42.686s sixth lap to take P2 

13:42 – Lecuona jumps up to the top of the order through his fifth-lap 1’42.263s time, propelling him to P1 with a gap of over two and a half seconds faster than Bimota test rider Xavi Fores in P2

13:38 – Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) launches his Day 2 efforts in the afternoon as he rolls out onto the circuit

13:37 – Xavi Fores’s entrance to the track marks the firs Bimota appearance so far on Day 2

13:35 – Surra takes P1 with a 1’46.678s time, behind him currently second-fastest, Michael van der Mark is back on track now, however he is riding Miguel Oliveira's bike.

13:19 – Jumping up into P2, Surra set a 1’51.771s time on his fourth lap, placing him second behind wet weather specialist van der Mark whose own fourth lap clocked in at 1’48.712s

13:00 – Activity is starting to stir in pit lane as riders are gearing up for the afternoon session, BMW test rider Michael van der Mark and Motocorsa’s rookie rider Alberto Surra are the latest to take to the tarmac

13:00 – Activity is starting to stir in pit lane as riders are gearing up for the afternoon session, BMW test rider Michael van der Mark and Motocorsa’s rookie rider Alberto Surra are the latest to take to the tarmac

12:45 – Having already ridden 14 laps on his WorldSSP bike, Oettl just recorded his first stint on the Aruba.it – Racing Ducati superbike of three laps

12:36 – Having set another session-best lap, Balsassarri remains atop the order, this time improving his time to a 1’52.592, faster than any time recorded on Day 1

12:08 – With his fourth lap, Baldassarri puts his name atop the order with his 1’56.121s time 

11:49 – Oettl currently leads on the timesheets with his 1’57.229s best time

11:40 – Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team Goeleven) nearly made his 2026 debut on track for his new team however he reconsiders and retuns to the pits similar to Montella before him

11:20 – Day 1’s P2 finisher Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) takes a look at conditions out on track before rolling back into pit lane

10:50 – Philipp Oettl logs the first full laps of the session so far, a 2’02.368s with more to come as the track continues to dry

 10:45 – While exploits on track have been quiet so far, in the MGM Optical Express Racing Team garage, spirits are high as the team launched their season this morning, unveiling their sleek new livery

10:34 – WorldSSP’s Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) momentarily joins him before both riders pull back into the garages after their out laps 

10:31 – Honda HRC Test rider Tetsuta Nagashima rolls out on track to become the first rider to do so of the day!

10:00 – Welcome back to Jerez! Chilly temperatures of around 10º C and moisture on track might slow the day’s start however riders are anxious to get to work on their setups!

DAY 1

17:45 – With riders beginning to pack it up for the evening, we will end our live coverage, check back in tomorrow at 10:00 (local time UTC +2)!

16:30 – The circuit remains empty as rain continues to fall, the riders with the most laps currently stand at Oliveira with 31, Manzi with 28, and Honda HRC test rider Tetsuta Nagashima with 27

15:38 – Currently sat 13^th fastest, Bassani returns to the track for his fifth stint as he looks to build continuity with new crew chief Uri Pallares

15:22 – Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) is currently the only rider on track, his fastest time stands at 2’04.770 as he rides his second stint of 2026 so far

15:16 – While they’re now back in the pits, BMW test rider and incoming WorldSSP rider Matteo Ferrari have both ridden their first stints of the test, six laps for the Dutchman and 16 for the Italian who prepares for his first full season after appearing in the final two rounds of 2025

14:42 – Rain continues to pelt the circuit into the afternoon, currently Vierge is the only rider out on track as the Spanish rider looks to prepare himself for his first season in Yamaha blue

14:02 – Live coverage will return after a short break! Click the link above to follow along with the current timings in the meantime!

13:57 – Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) breaks into the top ten with his 1’57.108s time to sit in ninth place

13:54 – Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) currently leads the WorldSSP field with his time of 1’57.205s, currently 2.781s quicker than his new teammate Dominique Aegerter (Kawaski WorldSSP Team) and the rest of the WorldSSP field behind him

13:41 – Petrucci’s spill marks the second crash of the 2026 WorldSBK field’s riders as his former teammate Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) had a small crash earlier in the session

13:38 – RED FLAG! Petrucci takes a tumble on Turn 13, he is ok but has returned to his box for the time being

13:37 – Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) emerges on track for his first testing stint of 2026, currently on his sixth lap and a time of 1’59.854s

13:30 – Three and a half hours into the test, your top five fastest riders so far are: Petrucci, Montella, Oliviera, Manzi and Lecuona

13:23 – Montella’s blazing third stint continues to show good things as the Italian 26-year-old improves to P2, just 1.218s slower than Petrucci’s reigning 1’52.976s time

13:17 – With his sixth lap of the day, Lecuona shoots up the order to P4 until moments later Independent Ducati Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) clocks a 1’55.489s lap to outpace the factory rider by just over a tenth of a second and snag P4 

13:04 - Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) lays down his first lap of the day so far as he prepares for his first season his factory Ducati red. His teammate Nicolo Bulega will likely not participate in Day 1 as rain continues to fall in Jerez

13:00 – Xavi Fores continues to show signs of Bimota engineers’ progress with their KB998 Rimini which is preparing for its sophomore season in WorldSBK, he now sits fourth fastest on the timesheet after 17 laps, the fastest among them a 1’55.917s 

12:56 – ‘Petrux’ again raises the bar and with his 12th lap sets another fastest lap, this time a 1’52.976s effort to raise his gap to 1.284s

12:51 – Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) joins test rider Xavi Fores to become the second Bimota rider to participate so far, he has ridden six laps so far in his first stint; the fastest among them a 1’57.978s to sit in P8 at the moment

12:37 – Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) is currently on his second stint on track and sits in P6. He stated earlier that he wants to get more comfortable with the 2026 Panigale V4R after getting a chance to ride it at the end of 2025, particularly hoping to come to understand the bike's new swing arm

12:33 – With the last lap of his third stint, Oliviera jumps up into P2 behind his new teammate Petrucci, cutting the gap behind him down to 0.558s

12:11 – One half of Honda HRC’s rider duo, Jake Dixon rides his first lap of 2026  before returning to the garage

12:09 – Not to be outdone, Oliveira jumps up to third fastest on the day while in P1, Petrucci improves yet again up to 1’54.17ss, carving out a gap of more than two seconds ahead of the rest of the field

12:06 – With just his third lap after emerging on track for the first time in 2026, BMW’s new signing, Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) has shot up to the top of the timesheet, displacing Manzi by nearly two tenths of a second thanks to his 1’56.117s effort

12:00 – after a pair of laps from #31, he returns to the box, leaving Surra as the sole rider on track as he looks to get up to speed with his Ducati Panigale V4R as he fills the empty seat left behind from Motocorsa’s 2025 rider, Ryan Vickers

11:56 – American Rider Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) launches his 2026 preseason as he emerges on track atop his team’s new and improved ZX-10RR Ninja

11:44 – Motocorsa’s rookie rider Alberto Surra makes his debut on track as a WorldSBK rider in 2026 after he earned his ride in part through an impressive showing in WorldSSP while filling in for the injured Aldi Mahendra who was riding for BLU CRU Evan Bros Racing team in 2025

11:42 – So far the only Honda rider to have taken to the track, Honda HRC test rider Tetsuta Nagashima has laid down six laps as he strives to collect data for the team’s new pair of riders, Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) and Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC); the latter of which will not be able to test at Jerez after suffering an injury to both arms while training in Malaysia

11:36 – Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) lays claim to the top spot on the timesheets as with his eighth lap, his 1’56.307s time wrestles P1 from Oliveira just over half a second slower

11:33 – Rain appears to be letting up for the moment however conditions on track remain wet

11:32 – Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) officially makes his Barni Ducati debut on track as the two-time World Champion Spaniard takes to the track to join his competitors

11:30 – Bimota test rider Xavi Fores flexes his new-and-improved KB998 Rimini’s muscle as he lays down a 2’00.873s time to jump to third-quickest on the day so far

11:27 – Oliveira takes the top spot on the timesheet with a 1’56.886s effort, pursued withing three quarters of a second by Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) as he looks to hit the ground running in his first season in WorldSBK

11:22 – Making his return to WorldSSP, Dominique Aegerter (Kawaski WorldSSP Team) rolls out onto the circuit as he looks to get back to his Championship-winning ways in the category

11:18 – Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) take to the track to get their Jerez test started on Day 1!

11:14 – Oliveira returns to the track for his second stint of the day! The Portuguese rider has big shoes to fill as he and Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) fill the open seats left behind by Michael van der Mark and three-time World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu

10:58 – After three laps, Locatelli returns to the box, currently sitting atop the timesheet with a time of 2’01.385s, just under a second ahead of Oliveira whose 2’02:297s was the fastest of his four laps ridden so far

10:50 – Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) takes to the track as well as he looks to continue his adaptation to the M 1000 RR after seven seasons in the MotoGP paddock

10:42 – Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) emerges from the pits as the first rider on track of the session!

10:25 – Riders have yet to take to the track due to wet conditions, however crew members around the boxes remain active, stay tuned for the beginning of the action

10:00 – And we’re underway! Rainy conditions here in Jerez have left the track inundated with water, likely delaying the appearance of riders on track