After all the testing and all the talking, it’s time to go racing in 2026 as WorldSBK ushers in a new season.
126 days will have passed since the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s last race when Race 1 gets underway on Saturday at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. More than a hundred days of looking back on 2025, finding out where to improve, how to make steps, a few (not very dry) days of testing mixed in there as well, but it’s time to find out who has the answers to the questions last season posed. There are new bikes and new line-ups as a new era begins with the 2026 Australian Round.
CHASING BULEGA: Who can catch the #11?
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) completed a hat-trick in Australia last year and, if testing is anything to go by, he’s the favourite this year. He finished the test as the only rider in the 1’28s and six tenths clear of his rivals but, as riders like to say: “testing is testing and racing is racing”. Things can change quickly and there’s no shortage of competitors looking to take the fight to ‘Bulegas’. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was his closest challenger at the test and goes in search of a first WorldSBK victory, while there was a shock name at the front: Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven). Could ‘Balda’ stun the field and take a podium on his WorldSBK return? Elsewhere, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) was quick during the test and he was fast in the round in 2025 too, so he’ll be searching for a maiden rostrum too. Elsewhere, Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and teammate Alex Lowes were fast too, with ‘El Bocia’ showing rapid improvement across each session. And let’s not forget the #22 is a three-time winner at Phillip Island… could he make that four and claim Bimota’s first win in 26 years? Elsewhere, Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) showed flashes of speed during the test, often in the top-ten, and will be looking for more of that.
MAKING PROGRESS: BMW’s new recruits look for more ‘Down Under’
A wet winter hasn’t helped either Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) or teammate Danilo Petrucci adapt any quicker to the BMW M1000RR machine, although the two dry days at Phillip Island will have made a big difference. Both riders made progress throughout the test and will hope to continue that as they close the gap to the top positions. Oliveira’s best MotoGP result at Phillip Island is 12th, on two occasions, although he won in both Moto3 and Moto2 there. Petrucci has two WorldSBK rostrums at the Australian venue, from 2024 and 2025.
NEW CHAPTERS BEGIN: Who will shine for their new squads?
Plenty of new eras begin in earnest at the weekend. Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) will mark his first race in blue and he comes into it after being the lead Yamaha rider throughout the Official Test. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) will be searching for podiums as he races for an Independent outfit for the first time – and he’s a serial winner at Phillip Island, with eight wins to his name there. His replacement at the factory Ducati team, Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), has only completed one round at Phillip Island in his WorldSBK career, when he took two P6 finishes in 2023. He’ll be hoping for a podium-challenging Ducati debut, if not a rostrum itself.
WANTING TO FIND GAINS AFTER THE TEST: ‘Loka’ struggling, Gardner wants more on home soil
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) usually goes well at Phillip Island but was struggling with the bumps on the track throughout the test, leaving him languishing down the order. ‘Loka’ will be hoping to find a solution to this at a track he’s been so consistent at, with only one result outside the top seven; and that was a retirement when he crashed fighting for victory. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) seemingly has no luck when it comes to his home round, even if he does have plenty of pace. He heads into 2026 on the back of a broken arm and dislocated shoulder sustained in training in November and will be hoping to climb the order when racing gets underway. His rookie teammate, Stefano Manzi, has shown speed in abundance since jumping onto the Yamaha R1. His debut weekend awaits and the #62 will be hoping for a good start. Elsewhere, Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Racing Performance) finished the test in P13 but will want to be inside the top ten as he prepares for a first full campaign on the Panigale V4R. Rookie Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) was close to ‘Taz’ as he looks for a strong start to his maiden season, as is Mattia Rato (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team). His teammate, Bahattin Sofuoglu, is preparing for a second year after a solid rookie 2025 season, and will be aiming to move closer and closer to those top ten positions.
HONDA’S DIFFICULT START: No Chantra, no Dixon
It was already established that Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) would miss Australia after getting injured in a training crash in Malaysia, which left him requiring surgery. It was announced ahead of the round that he would be replaced by Tetsuta Nagashima. Sadly for Honda HRC, they will also be without fellow rookie Jake Dixon. The #96 crashed on Tuesday morning at Turn 11 during the test, which left him with a left wrist fracture and elbow contusion, ruling him out of the Australian Round. They do keep two CBR1000RR-R SP machines on the grid, however, with Ryan Vickers (Honda HRC) making a wildcard appearance for the Japanese brand.
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WSSP: Masia looks to take the field by storm in Australia after a dominant showing in Official Testing!
The WorldSSP season opener is just around the corner. Read more below to get fully up to date on what to watch out for at Phillip Island!
The moment we’ve all been waiting for is nearly here as the Official Test has concluded and the FIM Supersport World Championship field now lies in wait for their all-out assault on 2026 at lights out on Friday, February 20th. The 2026 preseason has been very limited due to poor weather at the European tests at Jerez and Portimao, but the sun shone down on World Supersport as they enjoyed two days of unmitigated testing earlier this week. The time for testing has passed; however, this weekend, points will be on the line for the first time in 2026.
MASIA RED-HOT IN TESTING: The Spanish sophomore kept the hammer down in testing. Can he do the same on the weekend?
Four of the last five WorldSSP winners here have ridden Ducati V2 bikes, and from the looks of his pace at the Official Test, Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) is looking to make Phillip Island his own. Last season, he landed a P6 before crashing out of Race 2, but it would be hard to argue that Masia is not coming into the weekend looking to win at least one of the races. Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team), unlike most of the grid, partook extensively in the tests at Portimao and Jerez, laying down important laps as he has become one of the fastest riders of the preseason. Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing) and Alessandro Zaccone (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team) have hit the ground running after joining from MotoE. Ferrari will look to replicate his Day 2 FP1 P9 pace on the weekend, while Zaccone will hope to replicate his P11 earned on the Day 1 combined timesheets. Josh Whatley (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) turned heads as he finished FP1 in the top positions before finishing P8 on Day 1. The Englishman will hope to end the day at the business end of the order after showing such promising results in testing.
Leonardo Taccini (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team) and Mattia Casadei (D34G WorldSSP Racing Team) have posted healthy results around the top ten throughout testing, and on their day with the Ducati Panigale V2 platform’s affinity at Philip Island, they could easily snatch away a top-five result. Simon Jespersen (EAB Racing Team) showed strong results in the second half of 2025, even landing a P2 result at Balaton Park Race 2. He has been hovering around P15 in the testing timesheets so far Down Under, but the Dane has plenty of potential to shoot up the order. Borja Jimenez (WRP Racing) and Riccardo Rossi (Renzi Corse) will look to take points away from their first round in WorldSSP.
ONCU LOOKS TO LEAD THE WAY: The Turk hopes to set the tone early
Title favourite Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) joined up with his former rival Stefano Manzi’s team and has every intention to get back on the horse this weekend after a slower pair of testing days than expected, finishing Day 1 in fourth, however, dropped to 19th on Day 2’s timesheets. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) and new teammate Roberto Garcia approaches the weekend with optimism as Mahias posted times around top-eight pace and Garcia set one time to earn P6 on the opening Day of testing. Aldi Mahendra (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) is back on track after missing the second half of his rookie WorldSSP season with injuries to both forearms ruling him out after Balaton. 2020 Moto3 Champion Albert Arenas joined his garage this offseason and has shown promising pace in testing. Italian sophomore Filippo Farioli (VFT Racing) suffered a tech issue on Day 1; however, recovered to participate on both days. Farioli, Xavi Cardelus (Cerba Yamaha Racing Team) and Yuki Okamoto (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) will look to set a base of points from this first round in 2026 atop their Yamaha R9s.
BAYLISS LOOKS TO MAKE A SPLASH AT HOME: Triumph’s riders hope for a strong start
Australian rider Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) is looking poised for a home hero performance as he finished both testing days in P2, on top of already having a strong track record here at his home track. His teammate, Tom Booth-Amos, ended 2025 on a down note after a strong start, including a Race 2 win here; the #69 will hope to get the ball rolling in the same vein in 2026. Ondrej Vostatek (Compos Racing Team) impressed at the pair of testing days after an off-pace 2025 season. If Vostatek can capitalise and start his season strong, anything is possible. Oliver Konig (Compos Racing Team) is back in the WorldSBK paddock after two WorldSBK seasons in 2022 and 2023. He will look to start hot in his first round in WorldSSP.
DEBISE AND ZXMOTO ENJOY A STRONG START: Debise lands P10 and P12 in testing
Valentin Debise (ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing) joined a new team just in time for their new chapter with inbound Chinese manufacturer ZXMOTO as they set sail on their WorldSSP journey in 2026. The Frenchman looked comfortable on both days, lading top 12 across both days. Veteran rider Federico Caricasulo (ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing) didn’t look quite as fast, but if he can bring his experience to bear, ZXMOTO could enjoy a very strong start in WorldSSP.
KAWASAKI STILL GETTING UP TO SPEED: Alcoba and Aegerter struggled at times in testing
Dominique Aegerter (Kawaski WorldSSP Team) is one of the most exciting riders joining the field in 2026. He won back-to-back World titles in WorldSSP in 2021 and 2022, as well as winning Race 2 here in his second title campaign. While he and his teammate, Jeremy Alcoba, were still working out the kinks atop their Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 bikes, they had each shown podium pace in the category.
MV AGUSTA RIDERS WORK TO FIND FOOTING: Cretaro and Giombini both suffered crashes in the test
Jacopo Cretaro (Flembbo by Racing Development) and Andrea Giombini (Motozoo by Madforce Dubai) are set to start their first full seasons as WorldSSP permanent riders in 2026. Each has appeared in the category before; this will be their first season riding an MV Agusta F3 800 RR. At the test, both were still getting the hang of their bikes, with Cretaro on Day 1 the only one of the two to land in the top 15 times.
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