Garrett Gerloff and his Kawasaki WorldSBK Team, plus Jeremy Alcoba and Dominique Aegerter from the Kawasaki WorldSSP Team, will soon take part in a final official pre-season test at the 4.445km-long Phillip Island. Shortly before, they unveiled the full 2026 colours and sponsorship packages of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR and Ninja ZX-6R 636.
After finding some challenging wet weather conditions in recent winter tests in Europe, the entire Kawasaki WorldSBK and WorldSSP team set-up is now looking forward to two days of dry and settled climatic conditions on which they will take to the track on 16 and 17 February.
Before the testing action took place, the team revealed its WorldSBK and WorldSSP liveries, which feature Kawasaki’s green colour scheme extensively, but also an additional touch of blue this time around.
The 2026 sponsor and partner line-up had their logos on prominent display on the latest machines, with a refreshed team and ambitions for a new campaign.
Gerloff enters the 2026 season reunited with a former crew chief, Les Pearson, while Aegerter is a new rider to the Kawasaki WorldSSP Team set-up alongside 2025 rider Alcoba. Dominique is no rookie, however, as he re-enters WorldSSP racing as a double WorldSSP champion from recent years gone by.
After the two days test, the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship season begins for real at Phillip Island in Australia, between 20-22 February.
Garrett Gerloff stated: “We’ve travelled a long way to reach Phillip Island, but we can finally enjoy some solid testing time here. I’m confident in my team and in the new Ninja ZX-10RR. That’s why I think we can see good results in the official test and, more importantly, in the first round, even though we weren’t able to complete the work programme we’d laid out for the winter tests. A lot of time has passed since my last race, and I can’t wait to line up on the grid in Australia.”
Jeremy Alcoba, stated: “I’m really excited and can’t wait for the championship to start. I’ve trained very hard over the winter and even though we’ve barely tested on a dry track, the bike feels like mine. I have a great feeling with both my Ninja ZX-6R 636 and my team. We’re a very close-knit squad and this is key. I’m keen to get to Phillip Island and start testing, finally making the most of a dry track and pushing to the max with my bike.”
Dominique Aegerter, stated: “It’s a long way to Australia but it’s worth it because the track is amazing and the place itself is beautiful. I can’t wait to see my team again and work with my technicians. Because of the bad weather during winter testing I don’t yet have a setup to suit my riding style with which to start the tests, and I still need to adapt to riding a Supersport bike again. But the motivation is high and I’m totally ready, both mentally and physically. I can’t wait to get testing so that we’re all set for the first WorldSSP round.”
Manuel Puccetti, Team Principal, stated: “We can’t wait to start working and test on a dry track at last. This test will be important in helping us to make the best possible start to the season. The whole team is highly motivated, and we have a lot of work to get through, with many technical updates for both Superbike and Supersport machines. The aim is to complete the full programme to be ready for the first race weekend, which will start just a few days later.”
