05:55
Video: Nicolo Bulega completes Day 2 sweep at Phillip Island
2026 WorldSBK title favourite Nicolo Bulega will go into this weekend's Australian season-opener having been fastest in all four sessions at the Phillip Island test:
Nicolo Bulega, 2026 Phillip Island WorldSBK Test (Gold&Goose).
© Gold & Goose
WorldSBK Phillip Island testing LIVE - Day 2: Can anyone beat Bulega?
Live updates from the final day of the Official 2026 Phillip Island WorldSBK Test.
KEY MOMENTS:
- Honda rookie star Jake Dixon fractures his wrist.
- Nicolo Bulega breaks into the 1m 28s in FP3.
- Axel Bassani puts Bimota on top for most of FP4.
- .. But Bulega saves his best for last.
The WorldSBK pre-season concludes with the second and final day of testing at Phillip Island in Australia.
Reigning title runner-up Nicolo Bulega reinforced his favourite tag by setting the pace in both sessions on day one, finishing with a best time of 1m 29.345s.
That put the Aruba.it Ducati rider 0.291s clear of Bimota’s Axel Bassani, with Sam Lowes in third for Marc VDS Ducati.
The full grid is testing down under ahead of this weekend’s season opener – with the exception of injured HRC rookie Somkiat Chantra and Andrea Iannone, whose proposed ‘Cainem Racing’ project is yet to materialise.
The Tuesday track schedule again alternates between WorldSBK and WSS, with each class getting two sessions.
Tuesday schedule (local time):
09:10-11:10 – WorldSBK Free Practice 3
13:40-15:40 – WorldSBK Free Practice 4
17 Feb 2026
04:45
Final Results: 2026 Phillip Island WorldSBK Test
Phillip Island World Superbike Test - Results: Day 2 (FINAL)
04:42
The Phillip Island WorldSBK test is over
The 2026 Phillip Island WorldSBK test ends with Nicolo Bulega completing a perfect sweep of the four sessions, over the last two days, and being the only rider to break into the 1m 28s.
Sam Lowes, Lorenzo Baldassarri, Axel Bassani, Alex Lowes, Yari Montella complete the top six.
A special mention goes to Tarran Mackenzie, who leapt into ninth place in the closing stages, between BMW's Miguel Oliveira and Kawasaki's Garrett Gerloff
04:37
Bulega, Baldassarri and Lowes
Nicolo Bulega improves yet again to a 1m 28.630s, but his advantage over the field is kept at 0.6s after Lorenzo Baldassarri and Sam Lowes swap places for second.
04:34
Bulega sets new test best
With 8mins to go Nicolo Bulega fires another warning shot to his rivals by posting the best lap of the test, a 1m 28.819s. The Italian now has a 0.6s advantage over his nearest rival and fellow Ducati rider Sam Lowes.
04:25
Bulega finally topples Bassani
With just over 15mins of testing to go, Nicolo Bulega puts Aruba.it Ducati back on top, delivering four red sectors for a 1m 29.049s.
That's a comfortable 0.4s clear of long-time leader Axel Bassani, but not quite as quick as the 1m 28.880s of this morning.
Sam Lowes then slots into second place, a fraction ahead of Bassani.
04:22
Miguel Oliveira on the move
Miguel Oliveira puts his factory BMW into seventh on the timesheets. It's not quite as quick as the Portuguese went this morning, but he's now within a competitive half-second of Axel Bassani.
04:16
Bassani heads out to defend P1
Axel Bassani is 25mins away from breaking Nicolo Bulega's stranglehold on the Phillip Island timesheets. The Bimota rider is back on track and soon setting red sectors.
04:11
Vickers and Rato
Ryan Vickers (16th) and Mattia Rato (21st) are the only riders to have set their best lap time of the test in the hotter afternoon conditions.
04:09
A pattern is emerging
A pattern is emerging with multiple riders under Axel Bassani's best in sector 1, only to lose out to the Italian over the remainder of the lap.
04:06
The Top 10
The top ten with just over half-an-hour of testing to go: Axel Bassani, Nicolo Bulega, Sam Lowes, Yari Montella, Iker Lecuona, Alex Lowes, Garrett Gerloff, Lorenzo Baldassarri, Miguel Oliveira, Andrea Locatelli.
04:03
Crash for Sofuoglu
Action has resumed after a brief red flag due to a fall for Bahattin Sofuoglu.
Montella's Barni team-mate Alvaro Bautista also looks to have fallen, in the final sector. The former world champion is currently 13th.
04:02
Bulega 0.011s from Bassani
Bassani is now clinging to P1 by just 0.011s, while fourth fastest Yari Montella is also setting some red sectors on the Barni bike.
04:00
Bulega closes in on Bassani
Nicolo Bulega improves his afternoon lap time to just 0.137s behind Bassani, and he's going ever faster...
03:57
Bulega setting red sectors
Nicolo Bulega is back out and setting some red (fastest) and orange (personal best) sectors, he needs to find 0.2s to overhaul Bassani's Bimota.
03:47
Results, Phillip Island WorldSBK Test - FP4, Hour 1
Results at the halfway stage of the final session...
Phillip Island World Superbike Test - Results: Day 2 (FP4, HOur 1)
03:40
Bulega's scary FP3 run
Nicolo Bulega's best lap of the test so far, in this morning's FP3, came near the start of a super-fast eight-lap run:
1'29.311
1'28.880
1'29.226
1'29.409
1'29.293
1'29.123
1'29.211
1'29.137
Second fastest Yari Montella did:
1'29.511
1'29.653
1'29.531
1'30.112
1'30.003
1'34.327
1'29.451
3rd fastest Axel Bassani only did short runs, but 4th place Sam Lowes finished with a long 15-lap stint:
1'29.754
1'30.065
1'30.402
1'30.289
1'30.189
1'30.153
1'30.161
1'30.073
1'33.514
1'30.132
1'30.104
1'30.026
1'34.377
1'33.494
1'30.510
Let's see if any riders do race runs this afternoon in preparation for next weekend.
03:28
Fastest for each brand
1 Axel Bassani, Bimota, 1m 29.482s
2. Nicolo Bulega, Ducati, 1m 29.731s.
7. Garrett Gerloff, Kawasaki, 1m 30.086s.
9. Miguel Oliveira, BMW, 1m 30.417s.
10. Andrea Locatelli, Yamaha, 1m 30.428s.
16. Ryan Vickers, Honda, 1m 31.051s.
03:19
Sam Lowes improves
Marc VDS Ducati rider Sam Lowes splits the Italians with a 1m 29.772s lap for third on the timesheets.
03:11
An Italian top three
Yari Montella puts his Barni Spark Ducati into third behind Axel Bassani and Nicolo Bulega. The Lowes brothers are the fastest non-Italians.
03:07
The top 10
With just over half an hour of the two-hour session complete, this is the current top ten: Axel Bassani, Nicolo Bulega, Alex Lowes, Sam Lowes, Iker Lecuona, Garrett Gerloff. Miguel Oliveira, Alberto Surra, Yari Montella, Lorenzo Baldassarri.
03:04
Iker Lecuona, Bulega's new factory Ducati team-mate, is now in fifth place, ahead of Garrett Gerloff, plus rookies Miguel Oliveira and Alberto Surra.
03:00
Bassani last to 1st!
Axel Bassani may have been the last rider on track this afternoon, but the Bimota rider set a 1m 29.482s on only his second flying lap to sit 0.278s ahead of Bulega.
Bassani is only a fraction behind his personal test best of 1m 29.373s, set this morning.
02:56
Bulega back on top
Nicolo Bulega's third lap is a 1m 29.929s, edging him ahead of the Lowes brothers for P1.
02:53
Bulega leaves the pits
12mins gone and Bulega joins the action. Bassani is now the only rider not on track, with Jake Dixon ruled out by a wrist fracture in FP3.