Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed first place at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto on Day 1 of testing for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship got underway in Spain. The #11 was almost 1.5 seconds clear of teammate Alvaro Bautista in second, while there was an impressive start to life at Kawasaki for Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW). The #31 secured third place with two late laps that put him in the 1’39s bracket.
BULEGA ON TOP FOR DUCATI: more than a second clear of Bautista
Bulega carried on where he left the Spanish Round by showing incredible pace during the test after setting a 1’38.142s in the early stages of the day. Bulega had some chassis items to try and completed 86 laps on his way to P1, although that was fewer than teammate Bautista. Bulega’s best time came on the SCQ tyre although he said he felt better with his race pace than using the softest tyre available. The Spaniard, who was running the #19 on his bike again, had a disrupted day after a Turn 2 crash in the early stages of Tuesday’s running but he posted the most laps as he finished behind the #11. His best time was a 1’39.567s as he completed 85 laps. Ryan Vickers (Team Motocorsa Racing) got his first taste of the Panigale V4 R machine, finishing in fifth place with a best time of 1’40.922, completing 68 laps and improving late on in the day.
GERLOFF IN P3: a strong first day on the Kawasaki
Garrett Gerloff ended his first day on the Kawasaki ZX-10RR in third place after setting a 1’39.808s right at the start of the final 30 minutes, before improving again to a 1’39.650s. He completed 77 laps on the Japanese brand’s machine as he secured P3 while adapting to his new bike; the third manufacturer he’s competed with in WorldSBK. The team have new parts to test at Jerez but the main focus is getting Gerloff up to speed on the ZX-10RR.
VIERGE LEADS HONDA’S CHARGE: fourth for the #97, Mackenzie sixth
Xavi Vierge was the sole rider from the Team HRC race team at the Jerez test, with teammate Iker Lecuona missing through injury. Vierge used three different bikes during the test as he posted a 1’39.971s to finish in fourth, two places ahead of Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda). The #95 set a 1’41.063s to finish close to Vierge. Tetsuta Nagashima, from the Honda test team, was eighth while Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) finished in 8thplace, with Honda riders racking up 195 laps; Vierge with 80, Mackenzie with 70, Nagashima with 46 and Bridewell with 69.
BMW ON TRACK: Reiterberger and Guintoli test for the German brand
BMW opted to complete a one-day test with the test team at Jerez, with Markus Reiterberger and Sylvain Guintoli on the bike. The pair were bedding in the 2025 engine upgrades and putting mileage on the components ahead of next week’s Aragon test, where race riders Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Michael van der Mark will be back on the M 1000 RR. Reiterberger finished in seventh place with a time of 1’41.088s while Guintoli was 11th after posting a 1’41.806s; the duo completed 112 laps between them.
BIMOTA WITH MARINO: debut for the KB998
Bimota returned to WorldSBK action with the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team, with Florian Marino testing the KB998 on Day 1. He tested three different machines as he finished in ninth place after posting a best time of 1’41.360s but completing 72 laps as the sole Bimota rider on track.
WORLD SUPERPSORT FIELD: a handful of riders on track
There were a few riders from WorldSSP on track. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) was on track with the Triumph Street Triple RS 765. His best time was 1 1’42.889s as he finished two tenths clear of Philipp Oettl as he made his on-track debut with the Panigale V2 after signing a contract with the Feel Racing WorldSSP Team. Oettl completed 64 laps with a best time of 1’43.057s. Oli Bayliss was also on track with the PTR Triumph outfit, completing 42 laps with a 1’44.243s.
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Source: WorldSBK.com