Superbike Misano Test, Day 1 standings: Bulega and Ducati on top, Gerloff confirms his form

Ducati riders on top again on the first working day at the Romagna circuit: the other manufacturers are chasing.

The first of the two days of Superbike testing at Misano Adriatico ends once more under the Ducati banner, with four of its riders occupying the top four positions. No surprise, given the trend of the 2026 championship. It’s also no surprise that the best time came from Nicolò Bulega, already the fastest in the morning (HERE the standings) and further improved in the afternoon session. Best lap in 1'32"063, he is ahead of teammate Iker Lecuona by 249 thousandths.

The Spaniard continues to sit behind Bulega, although in testing the key is mainly to work with the race in mind, the situation that really counts. So far the rider from Emilia has consistently been superior to the former Honda HRC man, who is trying to make the most of the work at Misano.

Behind the Aruba Ducati duo of Bulega-Lecuona are the Panigales of Yari Montella (Barni Spark) and Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS). It should be noted that the Barni Spark team and Suter Industries have announced a new technical collaboration focused on developing a new dual-sided swingarm for the Ducati aftermarket. Montella had the opportunity to test the new component for the first time on day 1 of the SBK test.

The first non-Ducati in the standings is Garrett Gerloff’s Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR, fifth and 394 thousandths off the top. The top five positions in the afternoon mirrored the morning, although everyone improved their times. Behind the Texan is Tarran Mackenzie, comfortable at Misano on the MGM Optical Express team’s Panigale V4 R. Seventh place for Axel Bassani with the Bimota KB998 Rimini, more than seven tenths behind Bulega. Also in the top 10 are Lorenzo Baldassarri and the Yamahas of Xavi Vierge and Remy Gardner.

The returning Jake Dixon is the best Honda rider, just ahead of test rider Jonathan Rea and teammate Somkiat Chantra. The second day of Superbike testing will be very important to continue rebuilding confidence with the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP after months away from the track.