The 2026 Phillip Island WorldSBK Test: Day 1 - LIVE UPDATES
02:43
Iker Lecuona's flag to flag
The sun is shining so far, but you never know what the weather will be like at Phillip Island. The new Aruba.it Ducati rider Iker Lecuona practices a flag-to-flag pit stop during FP1:
02:22
In terms of FP1 incidents, Honda rookie Jake Dixon ran through the gravel early at Turn 2, Stefan Manzi then crashed at Turn 6, where Ryan Vickers also took to the gravel just before the halfway stage. There were brief red flags for birds on track and a technical issue for Sam Lowes, before a crash at Turn 10 for Tarran Mackenzie at the very end of the session.
We'll be back for Free Practice 2 from 15:40-17:40.
02:17
Full Results: End of Free Practice 1
02:13
Bulega better again
Bulega delivers his best lap at the very end of the session to finish with a 0.470s advantage over fellow Ducati rider Yari Montella. Axel Bassani completes the top three.
02:11
An all-Italian top 4
Lorenzo Baldassarri puts his Goeleven Ducati into 4th place in the closing minutes of FP1 - behind Bulega, Montella and Bassani - for an all-Italian top four.
02:08
Montella joins Bulega in the 29s.
Bulega is left a fraction short of his best time, but Montella is fastest in the first and third sectors on his way to a 1m 29.921s, that's only 0.265s from Bulega.
02:06
Sam Lowes all but equals his best lap time of the day so far, remaining in 8th on the Marc VDS Ducati. Meanwhile, the top two of Bulega and Montella are setting hot sectors.
02:03
Into the final 10mins of FP1 and the likes of Lorenzo Baldassarri and Iker Lecuona are setting personal best sectors.
02:01
Rookie watch
Jake Dixon is still the top rookie in 9th for Honda, with Miguel Oliveira 12th (BMW), Alberto Surra 13th (Ducati), Stefano Manzi (16th) and Mattia Rato (22nd).
01:54
While Bulega dominates, new team-mate Iker Lecuona is making steady progress; he's up to 11th place, +1.239s from the Italian.
01:52
Bulega responds
Bulega responds to move P1 slightly further away with his best lap of the morning so far. 17mins to go.
01:51
Montella, Bassani battle for best of the rest
Garrett Gerloff has been demoted to 4th after Axel Bassani and then Yari Montella took over second place. However, the duo are still in the 1m 30s and over 0.4s behind Nicolo Bulega.
01:49
The top ten now contains 5 Ducatis, 2 Bimotas, plus 1 Kawasaki, 1 Honda and 1 Yamaha.
01:38
Kawasaki 2nd
There's nothing wrong with the track conditions for Garrett Gerloff, who puts his Kawasaki into second, as Bulega's nearest rival.
30mins of Free Practice 1 to go.
01:37
Brief red flag
There was a brief red flag due, which WorldSBK reports was due to a technical issue for Sam Lowes at Turn 2, but testing has already resumed.
01:31
Bautista has also made progress, from sixth to third, splitting Alex Lowes and new Yamaha rider Xavi Vierge on the timesheets (+0.665s from former team-mate Bulega).
01:30
Jake Dixon rises up the order to 9th with a 1m 30.655s lap, that's within one-second of Bulega and puts him the same margin ahead of the next-best Honda of temporary team-mate Tetsuta Nagashima.
01:21
01:13
End of hour 1
Halfway through the opening WorldSBK session and the order is:
- Bulega
- A. Lowes
- Vierge
- Bassani
- Montella
- Bautista
- S. Lowes
- Gerloff
- Baldassarri
- Oliveira
- Lecuona
- Mackenzie
- Sofuoglu
- Manzi
- Petrucci
- Dixon
- Vickers
- Locatelli
- Surra
- Gardner
- Nagashima
- Rato
00:56
Ducati fastest on the straight
Panigales now only fill 4 places in the top six, but Montella, Bautista and Lecuona have set the fastest speeds so far at 319km/h. Test leader Bulega is just one behind on 318.
The fastest Bimota is Alex Lowes on 316, matched by Petrucci's BMW. Garrett Gerloff has set a 315 for Kawasaki, followed by Yamaha on 314 and Honda on 312.
Axel Bassani is an outlier, being third on the timesheets for Bimota despite only hitting 311.
00:52
Bulega breaks away
Nicolo Bulega continue to stamp his authority, and is now 0.6s clear of nearest rival Alex Lowes.
00:42
Fastest for each brand
Miguel Oliveira moves into 7th places with a 1m 30s lap. These are the fastest riders for each brand after the opening half hour of testing:
Nicolo Bulega, Ducati, 1m 29.844s.
Alex Lowes, Bimota, 1m 30.286s.
Miguel Oliveira, BMW, 1m 30.945s.
Xavi Vierge, Yamaha, 1m 31.129s.
Garrett Gerloff, Kawasaki, 1m 31.258s.
Jake Dixon, Honda, 1m 31.618s.
00:38
Miguel Oliveira in 2026 BMW WorldSBK colours
MotoGP race winner Miguel Oliveira in his full 2026 BMW livery.
00:36
Nicolo Bulega may have been one of the last on track, but he's completed more laps than any other rider so far (11). Petrucci is now up to 15th for BMW, but over two-seconds from Bulega's 1m 29.8s.
00:34
Jake Dixon "knowing when to take risks... rather than trying to be a hero"
Jake Dixon is holding tenth place as he pits on the factory Honda.
This is what the former BSB title runner-up and Moto2 race winner had to say ahead of his rookie WorldSBK season:
"It’s an incredible feeling to be a factory Honda HRC rider and to represent Honda in WorldSBK. Being part of this project is something I’ve always dreamed of and I’m genuinely excited to get started and begin this new chapter.
"When you join a factory project like this, you know there will always be new things to try and learn, and you also need to be smart and use your time effectively. Having such a strong and experienced crew around me makes a huge difference.
"Meeting the team for the first time was a little intimidating, I admit, simply due to the project’s size and scale, but everyone was extremely welcoming and that gives me confidence heading into the season.
"I truly believe 2026 will be a year of learning and growth, and I know the team will help me develop step by step. It’s also great to work alongside a strong test team: Nagashima has already done a fantastic job, and the arrival of Jonathan Rea is a real asset for Honda.
"We know each other quite well and exchanging ideas and feedback has been very positive. Our comments about the bike seem similar too, which is important for development.
"As for the CBR1000RR-R, it’s a powerful machine that demands a lot of respect, so right now the focus is on really understanding it and knowing when to take risks and when not to, rather than trying to be a hero.
"Our track time during winter testing was limited due to bad weather, but riding in the wet was useful anyway, especially for me as a Superbike rookie on a new bike, because every lap helps me to build experience.
"The first round is at Phillip Island. It’s a fantastic track, and it will be great to go there at the beginning of the year, when the weather is warm. I’m really looking forward to it.
"Lastly, I’d like to wish Somkiat [Chantra] all the best in his recovery. He’s a great character and having him back as soon as possible will be important for the whole team as we continue to grow and move forward together.”
