WorldSBK Testing Results [Day 2] | Nicolo Bulega smashes lap record; Lowes, Iannone impress

Nicolo Bulega continued to show impressive form as the first group WorldSBK pre-season test of 2024 at Jerez concluded with the rookie setting another lap record in Spain.

Having blown the field away on day one of the test – which is being attended by all five main manufacturers, together with a handful of independent teams – Bulega continued to hammer home the advantage on the second day.

The 2023 WorldSSP Champion posted a 1m 37.809secs lap on the Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R to go four tenths under the Jerez lap record and put a full half-second between himself and next closest competition Jonathan Rea.

His fortunes were in stark contrast to defending champion team-mate Alvaro Bautista, whose preparations for a potential third straight WorldSBK title have been stunted by lingering issues stemming from his MotoGP wildcard at Sepang back in November. The Spaniard, having been tenth on day one, could only manage 16th on day two.

Instead, it was British riders Rea – still getting to grips with his new machinery following his winter switch from Kawasaki – and Scott Redding leading the charge to Bulega as the highest-placed Yamaha and BMW representatives.

Toprak Razgatlioglu followed up his BMW counterpart in fourth place, while Andrea Iannone continued to impress on his Go Eleven Ducati despite a crash in the afternoon, the ex-MotoGP rider showing few ill-effects from having spent four years out of action due to a doping suspension.

Garrett Gerloff made it three BMW riders inside the top six in a positive start to the year for the Munich marque, while Sam Lowes bounced up the timesheets on his second full day of mileage aboard the Marc VDS Racing Ducati.

Remy Gardner, Danilo Petrucci and Andréa Locatelli rounded out the top ten, ahead of Alex Lowes, Philipp Oettl and Michael van der Mark.