The 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship got underway last weekend with the season-opening Australian Round. The stunning Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit hosted the action as the new season got underway, and there was no shortage of drama as teams and riders battled hard for every position. New names claimed rostrums in WorldSBK and WorldSSP, while the latter featured one of the best opening laps from a rider you will ever see.

KICKING OFF ON FRIDAY: Last chance to refine machines

WorldSBK’s Friday action kicked off with two Free Practice sessions, giving everyone their final chance to work on setup and make meaningful gains ahead of Saturday’s Tissot Superpole Session and Race 1. Plenty of stories developed throughout those sessions, as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) set the pace while a couple of surprise names featured towards the top of the timesheets.

LIGHTS GO OUT ON 2026: Bulega victorious as two riders claim maiden podiums

The season got underway in earnest when Race 1 started under blue skies at Phillip Island, with Bulega converting his pole position into victory. However, two riders stood alongside him on the podium, with both celebrating their first rostrum. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) had shown raw speed in 2025 but was often undone by mistakes, but he put this to the side in Race 1 to finish in second. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) had spent two years out of WorldSBK but in his first race back in the Championship. Elsewhere, Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) had a big crash at Turn 3 which dropped him out of the top nine, when he was on course to finish as the top Yamaha rider on his debut in blue. In WorldSSP, Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) took victory ahead of Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) and Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing); the latter taking his first WorldSSP rostrum.

THE RAIN COMES ON SUNDAY: Big drama in Australia

If Saturday was dramatic, Sunday was another level. In the Tissot Superpole Race, Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had a rollercoaster race. Forced to start last after a Tissot Superpole crash on Saturday and being unable to set a lap time, he battled his way into the top nine before a technical issue dropped him to P18. He repeated the comeback in Race 2 – this time without the technical issue – as he finished P7. Bulega won the Superpole Race while Bimota celebrated their first double rostrum since Estoril in 1988. In Race 2, Montella was on course for a second podium but was caught out in wet conditions at Turn 9, crashing from second place as Bulega completed the hat-trick.

WORLD SUPERSPORT’S CRAZY RACE: Mahendra goes from P28 to P1 in just over a lap

WorldSSP Race 2 also featured rain, but to the extent where tyre choice was crucial. Aldi Mahendra (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) didn’t set a lap time in Superpole but a slick tyre choice helped him pull off one of the best opening laps (and a half) ever. He was an impressive sixth at the end of Lap 1, climbing 22 places in one lap, and led the race by Turn 4 on Lap 2. While he was unable to keep his extraordinary run going, he finished second behind teammate Albert Arenas, while Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing) claimed third. It’s the first time since Phillip Island in 2001 where the three riders on the podium all celebrated their first rostrum, when Kevin Curtain, Adam Ferguson and Andrew Pitt took honours. These two occasions, outside the first WorldSSP race, are the only time it’s happened.

DON’T MISS OUT: Portimao is up next as WorldSPB debuts and WorldWCR’s season kicks off – get your tickets HERE.