WorldSBK 2026
Round Ten – Cremona – Friday
The WorldSBK paddock returned to Italy for round ten of the 2026 championship at Cremona, where Friday produced plenty of incidents along with some standout performances from the Australian contingent.
Iker Lecuona set the pace in both WorldSBK practice sessions as Ducati dominated the upper reaches of the timesheets, while championship leader Nicolo Bulega crashed twice during a difficult opening day. Remy Gardner was another to hit the deck, the Australian suffering a sizeable Turn 1 crash early in FP2 that brought out the red flag. Thankfully, Gardner was okay following the incident.
In WorldSSP, Jeremy Alcoba produced a last-gasp lap to claim his maiden pole position and Kawasaki’s first in the category since 2021, edging championship leader Albert Arenas by just 0.057s.
Australia’s Carter Thompson was the standout in WorldSPB, topping Free Practice before claiming his first World Championship pole position. Thompson’s 1m35.746s also delivered Yamaha its first pole in the new World Sportbike category.
Here’s how Friday unfolded across the three classes at Cremona.
WorldSBK
Iker Lecuona made an emphatic start to the Cremona weekend, topping both Friday practice sessions as Ducati machinery filled the first seven positions on the combined timesheets.
Lecuona was quickest from the outset, setting a 1m28.278s in FP1 before lowering the benchmark to 1m28.108s during the afternoon. The Spaniard also completed more laps than anyone else and appeared particularly strong through three of Cremona’s four sectors.
Championship leader Nicolo Bulega was second quickest, 0.254s behind his Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team-mate, but his Friday was considerably more eventful.
Bulega crashed at Turn 10 late in FP1 and then went down again at Turn 8 during FP2. The second incident cost him a substantial portion of the afternoon session, although he was still able to finish the day second overall with a 1m28.362s.
With Bulega in a position to potentially seal the 2026 WorldSBK Championship at Cremona, the Italian was understandably more concerned with restoring his feeling with the Panigale V4 R than contemplating the title permutations.
Alberto Surra continued his impressive rookie campaign by putting the Motocorsa Ducati third, only 0.461s from Lecuona, while Lorenzo Baldassarri was another 0.013s behind in fourth for Team GoEleven.
Sam Lowes completed the top five ahead of Yari Montella and Alvaro Bautista as Ducati locked out the top seven places.
Montella had a particularly bruising Friday. The Barni Ducati rider crashed in FP1 before going down again at Turn 1 early in FP2. He escaped injury and, after the team repaired the bike, returned to complete a useful 20-lap run and finish sixth overall.
Remy Gardner then had a sizeable accident at the same Turn 1 during the opening minutes of FP2, bringing out the red flag.
Gardner was thankfully okay after the crash, but the damage brought his session to an early end. The Australian had been 14th in FP1 with a 1m29.354s and that time left him 16th on the combined standings.
Gardner said he had sensed something unusual with the track at Turn 1 and noted that Montella had crashed at precisely the same corner immediately beforehand. Losing almost the entire FP2 session also denied Gardner and the GYTR GRT Yamaha squad the opportunity to complete their planned race-distance work.
Team-mate Stefano Manzi improved to a 1m29.275s in FP2 and ended Friday 15th overall after concentrating heavily on tyre performance over race distance.
Garrett Gerloff was the first non-Ducati rider in eighth. The Kawasaki rider finished 0.801s from the benchmark, heading the Bimota pair of Axel Bassani and Alex Lowes.
Lowes was another rider to hit the deck during FP2, crashing at Turn 6, while Xavi Vierge also fell at Turn 11 late in the session.
Honda HRC rookies Jake Dixon and Somkiat Chantra finished 14th and 17th respectively. Dixon had spent part of FP1 inside the top ten and improved to a 1m29.217s during the afternoon before a late crash. Chantra made more substantial progress between the two sessions, improving by around half a second as Honda worked to reduce chatter from the CBR1000RR-R.
The overriding message from Friday, however, was Ducati’s strength. Seven Panigale V4 Rs occupied the first seven positions, but it was Lecuona rather than championship leader Bulega who set the standard heading into Saturday.
WorldSBK Combined FP1/FP2 Results
 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Laps |
| 1 | I. Lecuona | Duc | 1m28.108 | 46 |
| 2 | N. Bulega | Duc | +0.254 | 28 |
| 3 | A. Surra | Duc | +0.461 | 36 |
| 4 | L. Baldassarri | Duc | +0.474 | 44 |
| 5 | S. Lowes | Duc | +0.644 | 43 |
| 6 | Y. Montella | Duc | +0.739 | 32 |
| 7 | T. Bridewell | Duc | +0.760 | 39 |
| 8 | G. Gerloff | Kaw | +0.805 | 41 |
| 9 | M. Oliveira | BMW | +0.814 | 37 |
| 10 | A. Lowes | Bim | +0.842 | 19 |
| 11 | A. Bautista | Duc | +0.971 | 46 |
| 12 | A. Bassani | Bim | +0.989 | 38 |
| 13 | X. Vierge | Yam | +1.086 | 37 |
| 14 | J. Dixon | Hon | +1.109 | 36 |
| 15 | S. Manzi | Yam | +1.167 | 38 |
| 16 | R. Gardner | Yam | +1.246 | 21 |
| 17 | S. Chantra | Hon | +1.257 | 46 |
| 18 | A. Locatelli | Yam | +1.476 | 38 |
| 19 | M. Rato | Yam | +1.601 | 43 |
| 20 | L. Baz | Duc | +1.811 | 41 |
| 21 | D. Petrucci | BMW | +1.909 | 32 |
| 22 | T. Smits | Yam | +1.930 | 41 |
WorldSSP
Jeremy Alcoba produced a last-gasp lap to claim his maiden WorldSSP pole position at Cremona, the Kawasaki rider also setting a new lap record with his 1m31.259s.
The result marked Kawasaki’s first WorldSSP pole since Philipp Oettl headed qualifying at Jerez in 2021 and came at the end of an extraordinarily tight Superpole session in which the top 20 riders were covered by less than one second.
Championship leader Albert Arenas came within just 0.057s of denying Alcoba, putting his Yamaha on the middle of the front row as he approaches what could be a title-deciding weekend.
Filippo Farioli completed the front row for VFT Racing, 0.171s from pole, while Jaume Masia secured fourth and his best qualifying result since the opening round of the season.
Alessandro Zaccone was fifth ahead of Can Oncu, leaving two of Arenas’ principal championship rivals with some work to do when Race 1 gets underway.
Arenas arrived at Cremona with a commanding 70-point championship advantage over Valentin Debise, with Oncu also still mathematically in contention. Debise could manage only eighth on the grid, while Oncu starts sixth.
That puts Arenas in a particularly strong position from the front row, although the championship leader was narrowly frustrated at missing pole after showing competitive pace throughout Friday.
Alcoba’s performance was all the more impressive given the closeness of the field. His decisive lap came without a tow and after the Kawasaki rider had already demonstrated strong pace during Free Practice.
The Spaniard believes the Kawasaki’s relative weakness away from the line could leave him fighting to retain track position into Turn 1, but his outright pace suggests he should be a significant factor once the race settles down.
With only 0.365s covering the first six qualifiers and less than a second encompassing the top 20, there is little indication that anyone will be able to relax in Saturday’s opening encounter.
The title picture adds another dimension. Arenas does not need to force the issue at Cremona, while Debise and Oncu increasingly need to take points out of the championship leader if they are to extend the contest.
That combination of a tightly packed field and very different championship imperatives sets the scene for what should be an intriguing opening WorldSSP race.
WorldSSP Tissot Superpole
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pos
|
Rider
|
Bike
|
TIme/Gap
|
Max
|
|
1
|
J. Alcoba
|
Kaw
|
1m31.259
|
266.0
|
|
2
|
A. Arenas
|
Yam
|
+0.057
|
260.9
|
|
3
|
F. Farioli
|
Yam
|
+0.171
|
264.1
|
|
4
|
J. Masia
|
Duc
|
+0.178
|
265.4
|
|
5
|
A. Zaccone
|
Duc
|
+0.328
|
270.7
|
|
6
|
C. Öncü
|
Yam
|
+0.365
|
267.3
|
|
7
|
O. Vostatek
|
Tri
|
+0.391
|
263.4
|
|
8
|
V. Debise
|
Zxm
|
+0.404
|
264.1
|
|
9
|
T. Booth-Amos
|
Tri
|
+0.406
|
260.2
|
|
10
|
M. Ferrari
|
Duc
|
+0.422
|
264.7
|
|
11
|
O. Bayliss
|
Tri
|
+0.521
|
262.1
|
|
12
|
D. Aegerter
|
Kaw
|
+0.593
|
266.0
|
|
13
|
J. Whatley
|
Duc
|
+0.747
|
265.4
|
|
14
|
R. Garcia
|
Yam
|
+0.777
|
269.3
|
|
15
|
S. Jespersen
|
Duc
|
+0.886
|
259.0
|
|
16
|
L. Mahias
|
Yam
|
+0.886
|
259.0
|
|
17
|
P. Oettl
|
Duc
|
+0.908
|
266.7
|
|
18
|
M. Casadei
|
Duc
|
+0.921
|
264.7
|
|
19
|
L. Taccini
|
Duc
|
+0.955
|
266.0
|
|
20
|
A. Mahendra
|
Yam
|
+0.995
|
259.6
|
|
21
|
C. Perolari
|
Hon
|
+1.134
|
263.4
|
|
22
|
R. De Rosa
|
Qjm
|
+1.155
|
261.5
|
|
23
|
B. Jimenez
|
Duc
|
+1.163
|
267.3
|
|
24
|
F. Caricasulo
|
Zxm
|
+1.367
|
267.3
|
|
25
|
Y. Okamoto
|
Yam
|
+1.411
|
264.1
|
|
26
|
B. Sofuoglu
|
Qjm
|
+1.563
|
259.6
|
|
27
|
O. Konig
|
Tri
|
+1.740
|
264.1
|
|
28
|
H. Garzo
|
Duc
|
+1.834
|
261.5
|
|
29
|
A. Giombini
|
Mva
|
+1.843
|
259.6
|
|
30
|
J. Garcia
|
Kaw
|
+1.854
|
263.4
|
|
31
|
S. Di Sora
|
Mva
|
+2.008
|
258.4
|
|
32
|
A. Carrasco
|
Hon
|
+2.480
|
265.4
|
|
33
|
R. Rossi
|
Duc
|
+2.486
|
259.0
|
|
34
|
A. Kofler
|
Yam
|
+2.752
|
256.5
|
WorldSPB
Australian Carter Thompson delivered a landmark Friday at Cremona, topping Free Practice before claiming his maiden WorldSPB pole position and giving Yamaha its first pole in the new World Sportbike category.
Thompson had already established himself as the rider to beat during the morning before producing a 1m35.746s late in Superpole to displace championship leader David Salvador.
The Team BrCorse rider ultimately held an advantage of 0.225s over Salvador, with Fenton Seabright third quickest on the Triumph, 0.408s from Thompson.
Salvador had led much of the session and did enough across the season to secure the Tissot Superpole Award as WorldSPB’s leading qualifier, but his weekend became more complicated when he was handed a six-place grid penalty for slow riding during Superpole.
That drops the championship leader from second to eighth on the Race 1 grid.
Seabright consequently joins Thompson at the sharp end, while Xavi Artigas starts from the second row after setting the fourth-fastest time. Marco Gaggi and Harrison Dessoy were next on the timesheets.
For Thompson, pole continued an increasingly strong run during the closing stages of the inaugural WorldSPB season.
The Australian was again among the leading contenders at Magny-Cours, where he fought in the lead group, and arrived at Cremona with both confidence and useful circuit knowledge. Cremona is also the home circuit for his BrCorse squad, which has tested there previously.
Thompson said the team had been able to start the weekend from the set-up established at its most recent test and then make another step with the Yamaha.
His focus for Race 1 will be trying to prevent the large slipstreaming pack that has characterised much of the WorldSPB season from remaining intact until the closing laps.
That task will not be straightforward. Seabright, Artigas and Gaggi are all well positioned to challenge, while Salvador’s penalty puts the championship leader into the middle of the pack and potentially changes the complexion of the race.
Salvador can clinch the inaugural WorldSPB title at Cremona, while Artigas remains his principal championship challenger.
Thompson, meanwhile, heads into Saturday with the best possible starting position after a Friday on which the 18-year-old Australian was fastest every time it mattered.
WorldSPB Tissot Superpole
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pos
|
Rider
|
Bike
|
Time/ap
|
Max
|
|
1
|
C. Thompson
|
Yam
|
1m35.746
|
223.6
|
|
2
|
D. Salvador
|
Kaw
|
+0.225
|
222.7
|
|
3
|
F. Seabright
|
Tri
|
+0.408
|
229.3
|
|
4
|
X. Artigas
|
Kaw
|
+0.453
|
235.8
|
|
5
|
M. Gaggi
|
Yam
|
+0.732
|
225.5
|
|
6
|
H. Dessoy
|
Tri
|
+0.825
|
226.4
|
|
7
|
A. Fuertes
|
Kaw
|
+0.838
|
219.1
|
|
8
|
L. Veneman
|
Kaw
|
+0.881
|
228.8
|
|
9
|
F. Fleerackers
|
Suz
|
+0.985
|
228.3
|
|
10
|
J. Osuna
|
Kaw
|
+1.011
|
225.0
|
|
11
|
A. Torres
|
Kaw
|
+1.014
|
224.5
|
|
12
|
M. Vannucci
|
Apr
|
+1.019
|
237.9
|
|
13
|
B. Ieraci
|
Tri
|
+1.041
|
233.8
|
|
14
|
M. Rocca
|
Tri
|
+1.148
|
222.7
|
|
15
|
M. Gennai
|
Yam
|
+1.157
|
233.8
|
|
16
|
J. Risueno
|
Kaw
|
+1.240
|
223.1
|
|
17
|
T. Benetti
|
Apr
|
+1.285
|
227.4
|
|
18
|
J. Correa
|
Kaw
|
+1.377
|
228.3
|
|
19
|
M. Sorrenti
|
Apr
|
+1.484
|
225.9
|
|
20
|
E. Bartolini
|
Tri
|
+1.573
|
229.8
|
|
21
|
J. Buis
|
Suz
|
+1.603
|
225.5
|
|
22
|
J. van Crugten
|
Apr
|
+1.739
|
232.3
|
|
23
|
K. Farkas
|
Yam
|
+1.762
|
223.6
|
|
24
|
H. Maier
|
Yam
|
+1.811
|
229.3
|
|
25
|
B. Fernandez
|
Kov
|
+1.977
|
221.3
|
|
26
|
F. Mulya
|
Yam
|
+2.098
|
225.5
|
|
27
|
T. Aksu
|
Hon
|
+2.301
|
230.8
|
|
28
|
G. Cazard
|
Yam
|
+2.327
|
226.4
|
|
29
|
H. De Cancellis
|
Kov
|
+2.527
|
226.9
|
|
30
|
T. Sovicka
|
Yam
|
+2.742
|
228.8
|
|
31
|
A. Di Persio
|
Yam
|
+2.793
|
221.8
|
|
32
|
I. Schunselaar
|
Suz
|
+2.902
|
225.0
|
|
33
|
M. Martella
|
Yam
|
+3.594
|
222.7
|
|
34
|
G. Sanchez
|
Yam
|
+4.678
|
204.5
|
2026 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship calendar
|
|||||
|
Date
|
Country
|
Circuit
|
WorldSBK
|
WorldSSP
|
WorldSPB
|
|
20-22 Feb
|
AUS
|
Phillip Island GP
|
X
|
X
|
|
|
27-29 Mar
|
POR
|
Portimao
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
17-19 Apr
|
NED
|
TT Assen
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
1-3 May
|
HUN
|
Balaton Park
|
X
|
X
|
|
|
15-17 May
|
CZE
|
Most
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
29-31 May
|
ESP
|
MotorLand Aragon
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
12-14 Jun
|
ITA
|
Misano – Marco Simoncelli
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
10-12 Jul
|
UK
|
Donington Park
|
X
|
X
|
|
|
4-6 Sep
|
FRA
|
Nevers Magny-Cours
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
25-27 Sep
|
ITA
|
Cremona
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
9-11 Oct
|
POR
|
Estoril
|
X
|
X
|
|
|
16-18 Oct
|
ESP
|
Jerez – Angel Nieto*
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
2026 World Superbike Championship Entry List
|
||
|
Rider
|
Bike
|
Team
|
|
I.Lecuona
|
Duc
|
Aruba.It Ducati
|
|
N.Bulega
|
Duc
|
Aruba.It Ducati
|
|
D.Petrucci
|
BMW
|
ROKiT BMW Motorrad
|
|
M.Oliveira
|
BMW
|
ROKiT BMW Motorrad
|
|
A.Locatelli
|
Yam
|
Pata Maxus Yamaha
|
|
X.Vierge
|
Yam
|
Pata Maxus Yamaha
|
|
Y.Montella
|
Duc
|
Barni Spark
|
|
A.Bautista
|
Duc
|
Barni Spark
|
|
A.Lowes
|
Bim
|
bimota by Kawasaki
|
|
A.Bassani
|
Bim
|
bimota by Kawasaki
|
|
S.Chantra
|
Hon
|
Honda HRC
|
|
J.Dixon
|
Hon
|
Honda HRC
|
|
S.Manzi
|
Yam
|
GYTR GRT Yamaha
|
|
R.Gardner
|
Yam
|
GYTR GRT Yamaha
|
|
S.Lowes
|
Duc
|
ELF Marc VDS
|
|
L.Baldassarri
|
Duc
|
Goeleven
|
|
T.Mackenzie
|
Duc
|
MGM Racing
|
|
G.Gerloff
|
Kaw
|
Kawasaki WorldSBK
|
|
A.Surra
|
Duc
|
Motocorsa
|
|
M.Rato
|
Yam
|
Motoxracing
|
|
B.Sofuoglu
|
Yam
|
Motoxracing
|
|
A.Iannone
|
Duc
|
Cainam Racing
|
