rounded out the overall top 10
on his Kawasaki WorldSBK
Team ZX-10RR. He was fifth on
day one and making immediate
progress on a Kawasaki that
seems to have nothing new on it
except some winglets for 2026.
Alvaro Bautista finished 11th
as he adjusts to being a priva
-
teer rider, and like all the V4 R
riders, he's also getting used to
the new Ducati, with its double-
sided swingarm, flattened side
profile, and widened overhead
view.
HRC Honda's star signing,
Jake Dixon, broke his left wrist
on the final day, highsiding hard
out of T11. He will be out for at
least the upcoming Phillip Island
round.
In the WorldSSP class, Jaume
Masia (Orelac Racing Verdna
-
tura Ducati) was fastest overall,
with local Aussie favorite Oli
Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory
Racing) second by just 0.034 of
a second, and his Triumph team-
mate, Tom Booth-Amos, third.
WorldSBK gets underway for
real on Friday, February 20, and
the three-race weekend ends on
Sunday the 22nd.
Gordon Ritchie
Day 2 Combined (Top 10)
1. Nicolo Bulega (Duc) 1:28.630
2. Sam Lowes (Duc) +0.666
3. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Duc) +0.698
4. Yari Montella (Duc) +0.721
5. Axel Bassani (bim) +0.743
6. Alex Lowes (bim) +0.945
7. Miguel Oliveira (BMW) +1.046
8. Iker Lecuona (Duc) +1.139
9. Xavi Vierge (Yam) +1.182
10. Garrett Gerloff (Kaw) +1.193
WIND
IN THE
P54
(Above) Lorenzo Baldassarri made a solid showing on the new V4
R in third. (Below) Axel Bassani has a revised bimota for 2026 and
was consistently fast in Australia.
