Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), last year’s brand new runner-up, started the 2025 season on the right foot by leading the first day of testing at the Jerez Circuit – Ángel Nieto. In this test, which brought together almost the entire grid of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Bulega He stood out as the only driver capable of lapping in 1’38s.
His best lap, with an impressive time of 1’38.731s, placed him at the top, surpassing Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) by four tenths. On the other hand, Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing), who returned to pilot the Panigale V4 Rcompleted the virtual podium by being half a second behind Bulega.
Bulega He was the first to drop to 1’39s and also to break the 1’38s barrier, approaching his own record from the 2024 Spanish Round. With 44 laps completed, he established himself as the fastest driver of the day. On the other hand, Andrea Iannonewhich had a new exhaust in its Ducatialthough he decided not to use it, set a time of 1’39.181s to place second, while Redding He achieved a solid 1’39.548s on his return to the Bologna factory, as we never tire of telling you.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), fresh from Dakar Rallytook sixth place with 69 laps and a time of 1’39.548s. Our two-time champion, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), finished eighth, while the debutant Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) finished in 15th position.
Garrett Gerloffpilot Kawasakidemonstrated great performance in his ZX-10RRachieving the fourth best time of the day with a 1’39.332s after 62 laps. Gerloff used a tire SCQ to record your fastest lap. For his part, Axel Bassanion board the KB998 Riminimanaged to be fifth with a time of 1’39.463s on his last lap. Your companion Alex Lowes finished tenth. Both working hard on key areas of the bike such as the chassis, suspension and aerodynamics.
In Sling, Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) was the team’s only regular driver on the track, finishing seventh with a time of 1’39.916s after 81 laps. The test pilot accompanied him Tetsuta Nagashimawho replaced the injured Iker Lecuona and set a best time of 1’41.498s. Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) completed 61 laps with a time of 1’41.715s, despite a crash in Turn 1 that interrupted his day.
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was the sole representative of bmw in Jerez due to the injury of Toprak Razgatlioglu. Despite a crash at turn 8, he managed to get back on track and record a 1’40.285s after 70 laps. The test pilots Sylvain Guintoli and Markus Reiterberger also participated in the test together with van der Mark.
In yamaha, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was the best classified, occupying 12th position with a time of 1’40.293s. He tested new components in his R1including a swingarm, and narrowly beat Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha), whose best time was 1’40.368s. Andrea Locatelli and the debutante Bahattin Sofuoglu They also stood out in their adaptation to the championship.
Finally, in WorldSSP, Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing) led with a time of 1’43.289s, followed by Kaito Toba (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) and Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team), who completed an intense day of testing.
Top 6 WorldSBK riders on day one in Jerez:
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’38.731s, 77 laps.
- Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) 1’39.181s, 68 laps.
- Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) 1’39.280s, 78 laps.
- Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) 1’39.332s, 70 laps.
- Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) 1’39.463s, 52 laps.
- Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 1’39.548s, 69 laps.
The second day of testing at the Jerez Circuit, held on Thursday, was marked by rain, which conditioned the activity on the track. Jonathan Rea was the fastest driver of the day, while the debutant Yari Montella achieved an outstanding third place. The wet conditions allowed the teams to evaluate the performance of their bikes in the rain and the riders to gain confidence.
The overnight rain left the track wet in the morning, and a new downpour around 11:00 (UTC+1) dissuaded several drivers from going out to ride. However, those who dared took the opportunity to try wet-specific settings. Rhea (Pata Yamaha) led the time table with a time of 1’53.058s after completing 40 laps, distributed equally between his two Yamaha R1.
Your companion, Andrea Locatellitotaled 19 laps before suffering a crash in Turn 1 in the morning, although he returned to the track in the afternoon and finished tenth with a time of 1’55.429s. The team manager, Paul Denninghighlighted that, although some improvements for the R1 will come later, the team is moving in the right direction.
Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) also shined, achieving the second best time of the day with a 1’53.666s. The Catalan driver, who continues to adapt to the new suspension Öhlins his CBR1000RR-Rcompleted 27 laps and demonstrated solid performance in both dry and wet conditions over the two days of testing.
On the other hand, Yari Montellaon board the Panigale V4 R of the Barni Spark Racing Team, impressed on his second day of testing. With 32 laps completed, his best time, a 1’53.978s, left him less than a second behind the leader. The young Italian also took the opportunity to practice starting from the pit lane. Your companion Danilo Petrucci did not participate in this day, and among the other pilots of Ducationly Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) rolled on the track. Redding He finished fifth after completing 42 laps and setting a time of 1’54.893s. The most notable absences were those of Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders, Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Baptist.
Axel Bassani He stood out despite the weather complications, completing 36 laps and achieving fourth place with a time of 1’54.426s. The Italian rider made the most of his first experience with the KB998 Rimini in rainy conditions.
Garrett Gerloff He had a short day on track after suffering a crash at Turn 13 during his 11th lap. His best time, a 1’56.893s, was recorded before the incident, which left him out of action before midday.
On the part of bmw, Michael van der Mark did not participate in the session, but the test drivers Markus Reiterberger and Sylvain Guintoli were in charge of collecting data on the new BMW M 1000 RR. Together they accumulated a total of 175 laps, with 83 for Reiterberger and 92 for Guintolimaking the most of the day to evaluate different mechanical configurations.
Top 6 WorldSBK riders on day two in Jerez:
- Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha) 1’53,058, 40 laps.
- Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) 1’53.666, 27 laps.
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 1’53.978, 32 laps.
- Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) 1’54.426, 36 laps.
- Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) 1’54.893, 42 laps.
- Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha) 1’55.429, 19 laps.
