Portimao SBK Test: Yamaha throws in the towel, Bulega leads midway through Day 2

Even today, conditions are less than ideal at the Superbike test in Portimão, but despite the wet track, some riders decided to head out.

The 2026 SBK pre-season has been jinxed so far. After the issues at Jerez, bad weather has also spoiled the Portimão test. On this second and final day, the asphalt is wet again and doesn’t allow the planned work to be carried out. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad team left Portugal two days ago to go ride in Valencia, while the Pata Maxus Yamaha and GYTR GRT Yamaha teams announced this morning that they had raised the white flag.

At the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, there are still a few who chose to take to the track despite far-from-ideal conditions. Both Aruba.it Racing Ducati riders lapped in the morning. The first out was the newcomer Iker Lecuona, more in need than Nicolò Bulega of seat time on the new Panigale V4 R. The two of them are at the top of the timesheets at 1 pm local time (2 pm in Italy). The two-time Superbike runner-up leads with a best time of 1'59"144, while the Spaniard follows 638 thousandths behind. The third time is Jake Dixon’s, who on the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade is 967 thousandths off Bulega.

Also in action were Ducati riders such as Alberto Surra (Motocorsa), Lorenzo Baldassarri (Go Eleven), and Yari Montella (Barni Spark). Xavi Forés, Bimota test rider, also ran this morning, as did Tetsuta Nagashima, HRC Honda test rider. Riders from other categories present at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve also decided to take to the track. We’ll see what happens this afternoon.

This certainly isn’t the pre-season that the various Superbike teams were hoping for, with very little running possible between Jerez and Portimão so far. Perhaps BMW played the right wildcard by moving to Valencia, but in any case everyone will be keeping their fingers crossed for the Phillip Island test (February 16–17), the last one before the opening round in Australia on the weekend of February 20–22.