WorldSBK 2026
January Portimao Test
January 28-29, 2026
The second and final European pre-season test for the bulk of the WorldSBK paddock unfolded at Portimao this week under much the same theme as Jerez seven days earlier: plenty of planning and Euros spent, but not much meaningful track time…
After intermittent rain and mixed conditions curtailed the two-day Jerez outing, the two scheduled days at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve were again heavily compromised.
Day one at Portimao was effectively written off by overnight showers and strong winds, while day two offered more consistent conditions, but they remained fully wet and cold, leaving teams largely confined to systems checks, wet set-up work and reliability tasks. However, Gerloff’s venture on slicks during a brief lapse in the showers on day one saw the American finish the test fastest overall.
Garrett Gerloff
With the Australian season opener now looming, most of the proper pre-season workload has been pushed onto the Phillip Island official test in mid-February.
Day 1 – wind, heavy rain and very few laps
Only a handful of riders ventured out on Wednesday, and even then, it was largely about gathering baseline data rather than exploring limits or evaluating new parts back-to-back.
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) topped the limited running with a 1m46.262s, set on a still-damp track. Gerloff was also the first WorldSBK rider to roll onto slicks despite the surface never fully drying.
Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) was next quickest on 1m47.246s, while Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) logged 1m50.317s as he continues his return to the class and his adaptation to the Ducati.
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) circulated for in-and-out laps but did not record a representative time.
In World Supersport, Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) was effectively a lone worker in the conditions, posting 1m48.735s.
WorldSBK Portimao Test Day One Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
G. Gerloff
Kaw
1m46.262
2
A. Surra
Duc
+0.984
3
P. Oettl
Duc
+2.473
4
G. Gerloff
Kaw
+2.973
5
L. Baldassarri
Duc
+4.055
6
HRC Test Bike 1
Hon
+6.252
7
L. Stapleford
Duc
+7.303
8
C. Beaubier
Duc
+9.231
9
X. Forés
Bim
+9.285
10
TEAM ERC
Bmw
+9.698
11
T. Nagashima
Hon
+10.692
12
Aruba Testing Bike
Duc
+10.780
13
P. Jordan
Duc
+11.766
14
X. Forés
Bim
+15.484
15
T. Nagashima
Hon
+18.540
16
T. Badwell
Duc
+22.079
17
L. Baldassarri
—
+29.765
18
S. Lowes
Duc
/
19
S. Lowes
Duc
/
Day 2 – consistently wet, but at least usable
WorldSBK Portimao Test – January, 2026
Thursday stayed wet from start to finish, but the reduced wind and steadier conditions encouraged more riders to complete structured programmes. No rider managed to best Gerloff’s time set in better track conditions on day one.
Garrett Gerloff
“The Portimao test has been tough, and we weren’t able to ride on a fully dry track at all. On the first day, I completed about 20 laps on a damp track. I went out on slicks too, though I had to be very careful not to make any mistakes and risk crashing. But I wanted to do that in order to give the team some data, as they’ve all worked so hard over the winter on the Ninja ZX-10RR. It was important to test the new aerodynamics – this is the ideal track for that, with its long straight. I could see a definite improvement even though I wasn’t really pushing, but the development work will only really start in Australia, during the last two-day test.”
Garrett Gerloff
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) again made his single-day approach count, topping day two with a 1m59.144s in the wet. Iker Lecuona was close behind, just 0.039s adrift, and logged 35 laps as Aruba continued to build understanding of the 2026-spec Panigale package in poor conditions.
Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) was one of the standouts in the rain, completing 32 laps across two machines and setting a 2m00.111s best to end the day inside the top three. Honda also continued to lean on Tetsuta Nagashima, who logged more wet-weather mileage across the two days as Somkiat Chantra continues to recover from injury.
Jake Dixon
“It was a very challenging test because of the weather, with a lot of rain and difficult conditions, but we tried to make the most of the time we had on track. Riding in the wet all day is not easy, especially for me as a rookie in Superbike and on a completely new bike, but every lap was important to keep learning. We focused mainly on rain settings, my riding position and electronics, working closely with the team to better understand the bike step by step. Coming from Moto2, the feeling and the way you ride the bike are very different, so I know I need many more laps to build confidence, especially under braking and on corner entry. Of course we would all prefer dry conditions, but even in these circumstances we were able to learn useful things. Now we head to Australia knowing there is still to improve, but with a clear direction and the motivation to keep progressing”.
Jake Dixon
Surra backed up his day one running with more laps on day two, ending fourth quickest on 2m00.757s after completing 40 laps across the test, while Baldassarri continued to build his base with a 2m01.610s.
Barni Spark Racing treated Portimao primarily as a preparation and reliability stop. Yari Montella completed 30 laps on day two and set 2m04.442s, while Álvaro Bautista did not ride, with the team preferring not to take risks in the conditions.
Álvaro Bautista
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to ride on track during these two days due to difficult conditions, and we preferred not to take any risks. We continued working in the garage, taking the time to get to know the team better. We’ll see if in Australia we’ll be able to work with the bike on track.”
Álvaro Bautista
Yari Montella
“In these Portimão tests, we were only able to complete one of the two scheduled days, but we made full use of it. We carried out some technical checks to ensure the bike was ready for Australia, working on several aspects including the fuel tanks. Our goal wasn’t outright performance, but to ride and clarify things so we can arrive as prepared as possible for the first race of the season. From this point of view, it was an important test because it helped us identify areas that need attention before the Australian round.”
Yari Montella
For the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team, the contracted riders Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani did not turn a lap, leaving test rider Xavi Fores to carry the programme. Fores banked 37 laps and set a best of 2m01.807s, with the focus largely on wet electronics and set-up observations rather than performance conclusions.
bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team – Xavi Fores
Alex Lowes
“Xavi Fores and the guys have been working really hard to improve the bike for rain conditions. All of the team is working together well, so thank you to everyone for the effort. From my side, we didn’t get good enough conditions to make any laps, so it was a slightly frustrating trip down to Portimão. We will head to Australia optimistic about the improvements we’ve made over the winter, and work through some items during the two-day test at Phillip Island to be ready for Round One. For now, I have the team launch to look forward to next week and seeing the 2026 team colours.”
bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team
Axel Bassani
“I did not set any laps at Portimao so I cannot comment on the bike or the work we did. Xavi worked really hard in really bad weather conditions, so thanks to him for testing for us. In the end, we will head to Australia with everyone on the same level. No one has tested a lot, just a little under rainy conditions. We will have a very busy two days of official testing in Australia because there will be a lot of work to do and a lot of items to try. We will do our best to find the best solution for the first round of the year.”
bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team – Xavi Fores
Garrett Gerloff had opted to end his test early after day one, noting the lack of a fully dry track made proper comparisons difficult, even though he felt an initial aero improvement on the long Portimao straight and finished the test fastest overall.
Garrett Gerloff’s ZX-10RR
What it means – Phillip Island now carries the load
Across Jerez and Portimao, teams have effectively had only fragments of semi-representative running, with most on-track time in wet or mixed conditions. That makes the Phillip Island official test (February 16–17) more important than usual, as it will be the first chance for many to validate dry set-ups, tyre understanding and new components before racing begins. Some teams will venture to Valencia before packing their road cases for the long trek south to Phillip Island. The Australian circuit basked in temperatures above 40 degrees over the past week, but who knows what the weather will be for the two-day test there in less than three weeks’ time. The 2026 WorldSBK season then opens with round one at Phillip Island on February 20–22.
WorldSBK Portimao Test Day Two Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
N. Bulega
Duc
1m59.144
2
I. Lecuona
Duc
+0.039
3
J. Dixon
Hon
+0.967
4
J. Dixon
Hon
+1.040
5
A. Surra
Duc
+1.613
6
TEAM ERC
BMW
+1.723
7
C. Beaubier
Duc
+2.106
8
L. Baldassarri
Duc
+2.466
9
X. Forés
Bim
+2.663
10
T. Badwell
Duc
+4.063
11
T. Nagashima
Hon
+4.161
12
Y. Montella
Duc
+5.298
13
X. Forés
Bim
+5.432
14
L. Stapleford
Duc
+5.763
15
P. Oettl
Duc
+9.592
16
Y. Montella
Duc
+10.321
17
P. Oettl
Duc
+18.763
18
HRC Test Bike 1
Hon
/
2026 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship calendar
……Date…….
Country
Circuit
WorldSBK
WorldSSP
WorldSPB
20-22 Feb
AUS
Phillip Island GP
X
X
27-29 Mar
POR
Algarve Int’l
X
X
X
17-19 Apr
NED
TT Assen
X
X
X
1-3 May
HUN
Balaton Park
X
X
15-17 May
CZE
Most
X
X
X
29-31 May
ESP
MotorLand Aragon
X
X
X
12-14 Jun
ITA
Misano – Marco Simoncelli
X
X
X
10-12 Jul
UK
Donington Park
X
X
4-6 Sep
FRA
Nevers Magny-Cours
X
X
X
25-27 Sep
ITA
Cremona
X
X
X
9-11 Oct
POR
Estoril
X
X
16-18 Oct
ESP
Jerez – Angel Nieto*
X
X
X
2026 World Superbike Championship Entry List
Rider
Bike
Team
I.Lecuona
Duc
Aruba.It Ducati
N.Bulega
Duc
Aruba.It Ducati
D.Petrucci
BMW
ROKiT BMW Motorrad
M.Oliveira
BMW
ROKiT BMW Motorrad
A.Locatelli
Yam
Pata Maxus Yamaha
X.Vierge
Yam
Pata Maxus Yamaha
Y.Montella
Duc
Barni Spark
A.Bautista
Duc
Barni Spark
A.Lowes
Bim
bimota by Kawasaki
A.Bassani
Bim
bimota by Kawasaki
S.Chantra
Hon
Honda HRC
J.Dixon
Hon
Honda HRC
S.Manzi
Yam
GYTR GRT Yamaha
R.Gardner
Yam
GYTR GRT Yamaha
S.Lowes
Duc
ELF Marc VDS
L.Baldassarri
Duc
Goeleven
T.Mackenzie
Duc
MGM Racing
G.Gerloff
Kaw
Kawasaki WorldSBK
A.Surra
Duc
Motocorsa
M.Rato
Yam
Motoxracing
B.Sofuoglu
Yam
Motoxracing
A.Iannone
Duc
Cainam Racing