\n\t126 days will have passed since the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\n\tCHASING BULEGA: Who can catch the #11?<\/p>\n
\n\tNicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) completed a hat-trick in Australia last year and, if testing is anything to go by, he\u2019s the favourite this year. He finished the test as the only rider in the 1\u201928s and six tenths clear of his rivals but, as riders like to say: \u201ctesting is testing and racing is racing\u201d. Things can change quickly and there\u2019s no shortage of competitors looking to take the fight to \u2018Bulegas\u2019. 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 \u2018Balda\u2019 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\u2019ll be searching for a maiden rostrum too. Elsewhere, Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and teammate Alex Lowes were fast too, with \u2018El Bocia\u2019 showing rapid improvement across each session. And let\u2019s not forget the #22 is a three-time winner at Phillip Island\u2026 could he make that four and claim Bimota\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\n\tMAKING PROGRESS: BMW\u2019s new recruits look for more \u2018Down Under\u2019<\/p>\n
\n\tA wet winter hasn\u2019t 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\n\tNEW CHAPTERS BEGIN: Who will shine for their new squads?<\/p>\n
\n\tPlenty 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 \u2013 and he\u2019s 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\u2019ll be hoping for a podium-challenging Ducati debut, if not a rostrum itself.<\/p>\n
\n\tWANTING TO FIND GAINS AFTER THE TEST: \u2018Loka\u2019 struggling, Gardner wants more on home soil<\/p>\n
\n\tAndrea 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. \u2018Loka\u2019 will be hoping to find a solution to this at a track he\u2019s 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 training injury sustained in testing 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 \u2018Taz\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
\n\tHONDA\u2019S DIFFICULT START: No Chantra, no Dixon<\/p>\n
\n\tIt 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.<\/p>\n
\n\tGet set for the 2026 campaign by watching the FREE Season Preview<\/a>, read the Official Programme HERE<\/a> and subscribe to the WorldSBK VideoPass!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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