WorldSBK, important test at Misano: BMW replaces Petrucci, Honda welcomes back Dixon

After the round at Most, the WorldSBK teams return to action at Misano for two important days of testing: Bautista and Petrux absent.

The Superbike World Championship has just passed the fifth round of the 2026 calendar. In the Czech Republic there was total Ducati domination, with three identical podiums across the three races. Nicolò Bulega triumphed ahead of teammate Iker Lecuona and Yari Montella of the Barni Spark Racing Team. The new Panigale V4 R has proven to be the best bike and the competition is really struggling.

Two days of testing are scheduled at Misano Adriatico on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 May, and it will be an opportunity to work hard and try to make progress. On-track action is set from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free entry to Grandstand B from the MWC Square. Fans who want to follow the riders live will have the chance to do so without paying any ticket.

The Aruba Ducati team will be regularly present with Bulega and Lecuona, with the Spaniard searching for what he needs to defeat the dominator of this 2026 SBK season. The Barni Spark Racing Team will field only Yari Montella, since Alvaro Bautista was injured in FP3 at Most and underwent surgery yesterday: recovery times are still uncertain. The other Ducati satellite teams will also be in action: Go Eleven with Lorenzo Baldassarri, Motocorsa with Alberto Surra, Elf Marc VDS with Sam Lowes, MGM Optical Express with Tarran Mackenzie, and Advocates with Tommy Bridewell.

BMW cannot field its factory riders Miguel Oliveira and Danilo Petrucci, who are dealing with serious injuries. The Portuguese rider was already absent at Most, where he was replaced by test rider Michael van der Mark. The Dutchman will ride the M 1000 RR again in the Superbike test at Misano, where Hannes Soomer will take Petrux’s place.

The Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team will try to close the gap to Ducati with Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani, while Yamaha will be at work both with the Pata Maxus team’s Locatelli-Vierge pairing and the GYTR GRT team’s Manzi-Gardner duo. There is a lot to do on the R1 to make it more competitive; the two days of work at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli must be used to the fullest. Lending a hand will also be Alessandro Delbianco as a tester.

In Emilia Romagna there is also the Kawasaki WorldSBK team led by Manuel Puccetti, fresh off a fantastic weekend in the Czech Republic. Garrett Gerloff finished all the races in the top 6 and at Misano he will have updates to try on his Ninja ZX-10RR to try to stay in the same positions in the upcoming rounds of the calendar.

Over at Honda HRC they can finally welcome back Jake Dixon, injured during the last pre-season test at Phillip Island. It was February 17; after more than three months he will get back on the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP with the goal of regaining confidence—lap times will be secondary. The one who will need to worry more is Somkiat Chantra, struggling with the switch from MotoGP to Superbike.

Remember that the Misano Adriatico round is scheduled for the weekend of June 12–14, with Aragon (May 29–31) taking place beforehand.