22:35
Bulega climbs to 2nd
Cue the jaws music as Bulega ups his pace and is now into second with a 1m 29.406s.
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
22:32
New test best for Bassani
Axel Bassani responds and posts his fastest lap of the week with a 1m 29.373s.
But Bulega is now on track and already up to third...
22:27
Sam Lowes to the top!
Sam Lowes gets the better of brother Alex with a 1m 29.412s on his 3rd lap of the day. That's 0.4s clear of the field and just a fraction behind Bulega's Monday best.
22:26
Iker Lecuona, Sam Lowes and Alberto Surra head out. Bulega is among those still in the pits.
22:23
It's a steadier start to day two with only nine riders setting a lap time so far. While the Bimotas are in the '29s, Miguel Oliveira is third on a '31.2s.
22:19
Bimotas fast, Dixon falls
Bimota riders Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani have again made a fast start and are into the 29s with Lowes setting his best of the test so far.
Meanwhile, Jake Dixon is reported to have fallen on his first flying lap.
22:16
Bulega's time to beat
The time to beat from day one is Nicolo Bulega's 1m 29.345s.
22:15
Green flag
The green flags are waved and the final day of 2026 WorldSBK pre-season testing is underway at Phillip Island.