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With the Australian Round’s season opener fast approaching, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field move on from 2026’s first preseason test at Jerez to the last preseason test on European soil before they set sail for the Land Down Under! Rainy weather has unfortunately played a large role so far this offseason which has prevented riders from making the comprehensive shakedowns they would have otherwise liked to have completed by now, making this test all the more vital! Day 1 unfortunately saw persistent rainfall and strong winds limit testing, check out the full timesheet of the test’s first day, and get the full panorama of what the teams hope to accomplish here in this test with the Portimao Test Preview! Keep up with the action on track from 10:00-18:00 (UTC +0).

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

18:00 – That’s all for the Portimao test! Next up, Australia!

16:04 – The session has begun to calm down as Dixon is the only rider periodically making runs on track as he has been popping in and out of the box for short stints 

15:28 – With his 12^th lap atop it, Dixon has now ridden more laps with his second bike than he rode with his first bike. His first bike he used exclusively in the morning, riding an 8-lap stint before returning this afternoon with his second machine as he and his team try out different settings

14:56 - Montella breaks the silence at Portimao as he ventures out on his Panigale V4 R

14:51 - ...although he headed straight back in. As you were...

14:50 - A bit of action now as Fores heads back out on the KB998 Rimini for Bimota

13:29 – The track is currently empty as all riders are in their boxes

13:19 – Surra is making the most of the test regardless of the conditions, combining Dixon’s times set on his two bikes, the #67 is currently in P5 with a time of 2’01.528s, just under a tenth ahead of his compatriot Baldassarri

13:11 – Lecuona takes a spill on Turn 7 of his 35^th lap, he’s fortunately A-Okay, back in his box now

13:07 – Another surgical stint from Dixon, this time just three laps was all he needed to fly up the order to P4, just under a tenth of a second off of his previous best time of 2’000.111s

12:58 – Dixon embarks on his out lap on a different Honda CBR1000RR-R SP, these will be his first laps of the day since his initial nine laps early in the session

12:53 – Bulega raises the bar again from P1 and lays down a 1’59.144s time, growing his gap to 0.638s 

12:49 – In P5, Surra is continuing his stated goal of putting laps down and coming to understand the bike before his rookie debut at Philip Island. His best time of the day so far was his most recent lap, a 2’02.206s time

12:38 – While he has not returned to the track since his nine-lap stint this morning, Dixon’s 2’00.111s time continues to float near the top of the order in P3

12:35 – Bulega joins his #7 teammate atop the order, shuffling the Spaniard to P2 with his 1’59.480s time 

12:28 – Oettl rides as the only WorldSSP rider who came to test in Portimao, so far on his 11^th lap of Day 2 to total 38 laps

12:24 – Lecuona launches himself from P2 up into P1 as he becomes to first rider of the day to break the 2’ mark with his 1’59.795s 22^nd lap

12:14 – Four of the five Ducatis are currently on track, Lecuona in P2 with a 2’01.557s, Baldassarri in P5 on a  2’03.994s, Bulega in P6 with a 2’04.127s, Surra in P7 with a 2’04.384s and Montella in P9 on a 2’09.465s

12:09 – On the ninth of his 10 laps so far, Baldassarri lays down a 2’06.022s lap to move to P8

12:00 – Xavi Fores takes to the track with a different KB998 Rimini, riding alone on-circuit at the moment

11:54 – Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) gets back on the horse after logging a long day at the office yesterday, he was the last rider on track as he looks to iron out any issues with his Ducati Panigale V2 to hit the ground running in Australia

11:48 – The morning’s light rain is projected to end around 13:00 local time, giving hope that while the cloud cover is projected to remain, 30 km/h winds may help the track dry off as the day continues 

11:38 – So far, your lap count leaders are: Fores (18), Nagashima (12) and Lecuona (11)

11:35 – after two laps, ‘Bulegas’ returns to his box

11:27 – Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) joins the event, making him the sixth grid rider to appear so far in the test

11:21 – Joining the other three Ducatis who have made an appearance so far, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) rolls out onto the circuit for the first time at the test

11:14 – Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team Goeleven) emerges from his box, today will be his second day of testing here at Portimao as he was one of only a handful of riders who participated in Day 1, laying down 10 laps total

11:07 – Lecuona surpasses Fores and Nagashima for P2 thanks to his 2’02.097s effort on his fifth lap, now tailing only Dixon who holds a 1.986s gap over the Spaniard

11:03 – Yari Montella becomes the second Ducati to participate on Day 2 behind Iker Lecuona, who has already logged three laps and sits in P4 with a best time of 2’04.882s

10:59 – Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), determined to continue his process of learning his new 2026 Ducati Panigale V4R, takes to the track for his first laps of the day

10:53 – Nagashima is the second to see gravel on the day as the tricky conditions in Turn 3 are taking their toll, he is ok and returning to his box

10:48 – Dixon, Nagashima and Fores all take to the track for their second stints!

10:41 – Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) has been seen preparing to climb atop his bike and is anticipated to test this morning for a final shakedown of his bike before shipping out to Australia

10:39 - Green flag! The track is clear yet for now riders remain in boxes

10:33 – Honda HRC Test Team rider Ryan Vickers takes took to the track but crashed on Turn 3 on his first lap, causing a red flag

10:22 – Day 2’s early birds have all returned to their boxes, Dixon in P4 after four laps, Nagashima in P2 with eight, and Fores in P3 after seven

10:15 – Growing in confidence with his new CBR1000RR-R SP, Dixon takes the top spot with his third lap, a 2’01.279s before returning to the boxes, leaving the Honda and Bimota test riders on track 

10:12 – With each of the three riders on track having completed timed laps, Nagashima sits P1 with a time of 2’04.602s, Dixon behind him at 2’05.129s, and Fores in P3 with a time of 2’08.558s

10:08 – Looking to get their day started early as well,Honda HRC’s Jake Dixon takes to the track for the first time in Portimao’s test after not participating yesterday, joined by Bimota test rider Xavi Fores who also takes to the track

10:00 – And we’re off! Tetsuta Nagashima (Honda HRC Test Team) takes to the track first

DAY 1

18:00 – That’s all folks! Tune in tomorrow for the final day of testing before Australia with live coverage staring at 10:00 local time (UTC +0)

16:40 – Oetll and Tommy Bridewell on a Ducati bike have been the only riders putting down laps on track, as the session winds down they currently sit at 27 laps ridden for Oettl and 28 for Bridewell

16:33 – Oettl emerges on track for a single lap before heading back into the boxes

16:01 – With blustery wind and rain continuing at the circuit, riders haven’t taken back to the track, however with the forecast predicting that the rain will stop, the session has been extended by one hour to finish at 18:00 local time (UTC +1)

15:57 – With 33 laps, Fores still leads in the total lap count

15:36 – Garrett Gerloff still leads here in Portimao, his best time having been earned on the fifth of his six laps on the new 2026 model Kawasaki ZX-10RR Ninja with a time of 1’46.262s 

15:04 – Sam Lowes is the first to return to the track, this time on a different bike with wet tyres

14:55 – Rain has unfortunately begun to lightly fall once again, ushering the riders back into the boxes for now

14:38 – ‘Balda’ is looking to start his second year in WorldSBK strong as he jumps up to P5 with a time of 1’50.317s on his second stint 

14:35 – Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) takes to the track on his Ducati Panigale V4R with hopes to continue his shakedown of the new bike prior to Australia

14:30 – Surra is charging up the timesheets, having moved up into P3, now P2 in sequential laps, his latest time clocking in at 1’48.136s!

14:18 – Now out on track atop his new 2026 bike, Gerloff takes P1 with a lap nearly two seconds faster than his fastest lap on the 2025 model with a time of 1’47.536s

14:17 – Ducati Independent riders Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team Goeleven) have each taken to the track! Surra currently sits in P4 with a 1’51.397s and Baldassarri in P7 with a 1’55.787s

14:15 – Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) logs the first laps of the test among WorldSSP riders as he quickly jumps up to 1’54.059s, second among all riders 

14:05 – Gerloff improves his time with the day’s fastest lap by far as the Texan posts a 1’49.235s to increase his gap to over six seconds

13:58 – Gerloff looks to be enjoying the new ZX-10RR Ninja and its new front aero package as he sends himself up to the top of the order with a 1’52.242s time on his seventh lap

13:53 – The session’s current leaders are currently Fores with a time of 1’55.547s, Vickers 1’56.824s, and Nagashima with a time of 1’58.492s

13:51 – Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) and Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) make their debut on track, the #31 logging a 3-lap stint and the #67 just testing the conditions on an out lap before returning to his box

13:26 – So far it’s been just three riders out on track: both of Honda HRC’s test riders, Vickers with 10 laps, Nagashima with three, as well as Bimota’s Xavi Fores with 23 laps as windy conditions have kept the rest of the field in their boxes 

13:11 – On his very next lap, Vickers takes P1 from Fores with a 1’57.168s time

13:09 – Vickers returns to the track for his second stint, currently sitting in P2 with a time of 1’58.984s

12:52 – Fores returns with a vengeance to claim the day’s top spot so far from the Brit, the Bimota Test rider takes P1 with a 1’58.608s time

12:37 – Former WorldSBK rider Ryan Vickers rolls out on track where he is riding as a Honda HRC test rider. He quickly puts the Japanese manufacturer at the top on his fourth lap, recording a 1’59.799s time 

12:11 – It’s still been a quiet day out on track. Fores has taken to the wet circuit on two KB998 Rimini machines and leads the way, completing 12 laps in total, while Nagashima hasn't added to his three from earlier.

11:49 – It’s the Fores show currently in Portimao as he’s currently the only rider who has logged laps apart from Nagashima’s 3 laps to start the day. With his 12^th lap, he raises the bar for P1 once again as he clocks a 2’01.746s time

11:41 – Fores returns to the track this time on a different KB998 Rimini bike to test another setup on his second stint

11:10 – Currently on his eighth lap, Xavi Fores put Bimota atop the timesheets last lap with a 2’02.212s effort

10:57 – Test rider Xavi Fores (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Test Team) rolls out of pit lane to start his day

10:44 – Nagashima returns to boxes after a three lap stint

10:36 – Honda HRC Test rider Tetsuta Nagashima is the first rider on track on Day 1! He opens the timesheets with a time of 2’05.900s

10:17 – Despite the cloudy skies, rain is not falling on track, however between the inundated conditions from overnight showers and wind gusts up to 43 km/h, riders remain in the boxes

10:00 – Testing in Portimao is officially underway! Once again, rain is making an appearance on track long before any riders have yet had the opportunity. Further complicating the picture here in Portimao are strong gusts of wind which cast dark clouds on the idea of riders emerging on track for the next half hour at least