The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship might be between rounds at the moment, but that doesn’t mean the track action has stopped. Most of the grid have headed from Czechia to Italy for a two-day test at the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the iconic Italian venue, which was topped by Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Catch up on all the key stories from the two-day test.

FASTEST RIDERS

Bulega was the fastest of the riders, setting a 1’31.769s on Day 2 in the afternoon session to cement top spot, four tenths clear of teammate Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), while the #11 also topped Wednesday’s running. His fastest time of the test was under the existing race lap record (1’32.687s) and just a tenth away from the pole lap record (1’31.618s). Lecuona finished in second place across both days of action with a 1’32.182s as he worked on setups on his Panigale V4R machine. The pair completed 109 and 163 laps across the test respectively. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) was third, 0.513s down on Bulega, with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) just 0.002s down on the #5. The top five was completed by Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing), who set a 1’32.399s to finish in P5, 0.630s down on Bulega’s time.

DIXON RETURNS FROM INJURY

Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) has been missing from WorldSBK action since the Official Test at Phillip Island as he recovered from the wrist fractures he sustained in a crash. The Misano test was the first time he was back on the CBR1000RR-R machine as his recovery stepped up a gear. He finished Day 1 in 17^th place overall, the fastest Honda rider, with a 1’33.941s. He also racked up 50 laps across the day and added another 37 on Thursday. Across the whole test, Thai rider Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) was the fastest Honda rider in 17^th place after setting a 1’33.345s, and he racked up 224 laps across the two days, the most of anybody. Test rider Jonathan Rea was also at Misano as he worked with the Honda HRC test team, finishing two tenths down on Dixon’s time.

BARNI DUCATI’S NEW COLLABORATION

The Barni Spark Racing Team announced on Wednesday of the test a new partnership with Suter Industries to further develop the double-sided Ducati swingarm, and that partnership made its debut on track on Day 1 of the Misano testing. Featuring only Montella (after teammate Alvaro Bautista’s surgery earlier this week, the #5 finished third on Day 1 with a 1’32.444s and repeated that position on Day 2 with a 1’32.282s as he completed 157 laps.

KAWASAKI’S PROGRESS SET TO CONTINUE

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) has been in fine form in the last two rounds, and the Texan is now on a run of five consecutive top ten finishes, including a best result in 18 months when he finished P4 in Race 1 at Most. His eight top ten finishes this year already beat last year’s tally of six, and Kawasaki have been working hard to make sure that run continues. The Japanese manufacturer said ahead of the test they would have new components to try and would work to refine the setup. Gerloff finished fifth on Day 1 and was seventh after Friday’s action concluded, setting a 1’32.457s; he was the only WorldSBK rider not to improve his time on Day 2.

WORK CONTINUES AT YAMAHA

It’s been a tricky start to 2026 for Yamaha, but in recent rounds they’ve been closer to the top five. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) appears to be getting back to his best while teammate Xavi Vierge couldn’t have adapted to the Yamaha R1 any quicker. Niccolo Canepa, Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Sporting Manager, stated ahead of the test that they would evaluate the package to make gains in the second half of the season. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished as the fastest Yamaha across the two-day test in tenth place after posting a 1’32.561s.

VAN DER MARK AND SOOMER RIDE FOR BMW

With race riders Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and teammate Danilo Petrucci recovering from injury, BMW called upon Michael van der Mark and Hannes Soomer for the Misano test. The Dutchman led the German manufacturer’s charge throughout the test, claiming 16^th on the combined timesheets with a 1’33.119s. Soomer was 20^thwith a 1’34.000s and the pair completed 367 laps between them, with van der Mark completing 200 of those.

BIMOTA LOOK FOR IMPROVED SETTINGS

Both Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani were on track for the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team squad at Misano, searching for improved settings on their KB998 Rimini as they look to return to the rostrum after missing out since the season-opening Australian Round. The #47 was the faster of the pair as he finished in sixth place with a 1’32.430s, with Alex Lowes two places and less than a tenth behind his teammate. The pair completed 172 and 160 laps respectively.

The top 10 from the Misano test (lap count in brackets), full results here:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’31.769s (109)
2. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.413s (163)
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.513s (157)
4. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.515s (175)
5. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) +0.630s (118)
6. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.661s (172)
7. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) +0.688s (157)
8. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.727s (160)
9. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +0.746s (214)
10. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.792s (176)

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