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The waiting is almost over. The 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is almost underway. But before the revs rise for the first lights out of the year, there’s two more test days for the WorldSBK and WorldSSP grids, taking place at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. The entire paddock will be hoping for good conditions on Monday 16^th and Tuesday 17^th February to make up for some of the lost running at Jerez and Portimao in January as they look to refine their machines ahead of the all-important season opener.

NOVELTIES ON DISPLAY: New Ducati, new line-ups at factory teams

There’s plenty to look out for across the two-day test. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) heads into Australia as one of the favourites to claim this year’s title after pushing Toprak Razgatlioglu all the way in 2025, and he has a new bike for this year. He also has a new teammate, with Iker Lecuona joining the team, and the #7 will be looking to get more mileage under his belt as he adapts from Honda. At BMW, there are two new riders in Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and teammate Miguel Oliveira, who will both look to rack up kilometres in Australia. At Honda, Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) will be joined by test rider Tetsuta Nagashima for both the test and the round as Somkiat Chantra continues to recover from injuries sustained in training. Their wildcard rider, Ryan Vickers (Honda HRC), will also be present at the test ahead of his first WorldSBK race in Honda red.

YAMAHA’S FRESH FACES: Vierge, Manzi and Rato prepare for WorldSBK debut with the Japanese brand

Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) has settled into his new, blue surroundings well, and will look to continue adapting to the Yamaha R1 in Australia. His teammate, Andrea Locatelli, has often gone well at Phillip Island, so will look to be in podium contention and the test will be vital to get things going in the right direction. At the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team, Stefano Manzi has been quick so far but will want some more dry time on the bike, while Remy Gardner will want to turn his Phillip Island fortunes around starting with the test. The Motoxracing WorldSBK Team will have their first test of 2026 with Bahattin Sofuoglu and Mattia Rato; the latter on his first visit to Phillip Island.

AIMING HIGH: Looking to start the year on the right note

After limited running at Jerez and Portimao, Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) will hope to continue adjusting to his revised Kawasaki ZX-10RR, now adorned with wings. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) will want to begin his time with Barni Ducati with a strong result and that all begins with the test while teammate Yari Montella has gone well at the track in both WorldSSP and in WorldSBK last year. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and teammate Axel Bassani now have a year’s worth of data for the Bimota KB998 Rimini and will hope that means they can start the test, and the round, on a stronger footing. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) enters his third year searching for a first World Superbike victory, while Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Racing Performance) starts his first full campaign with the MGM-Ducati squad. Elsewhere, Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) is back in WorldSBK with Team GoEleven, while Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) will use the test to prepare for his debut.

WORLD SUPERSPORT STARS: two days of action for WorldSSP competitors

The WorldSSP field will be on track in Australia too, with everyone bar the WorldSSP Challenge riders. It’ll be the first glimpse of the ZXMOTO 820-RR with Valentin Debise (ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing) and teammate Federico Caricasulo. Dominique Aegerter (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) will get a glimpse of how he stacks up on his World Supersport return, while it’ll be the first look at Albert Arenas (AS Racing Team) as he moves over from Moto2.

Watch highlights from the test, follow all the news and enjoy 2026 in style using the WorldSBK VideoPass!