Kawasaki Rider Responds Brilliantly After Morning Fall While Championship Leader Ends Friday Early

The opening day of action at the 2026 Czech Round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship delivered mixed conditions, crashes, surprise performances, and a tightly packed leaderboard at Autodrom Most.

Under constantly changing skies throughout Friday, riders faced difficult track conditions as clouds and occasional rain showers hovered around the 4.2-kilometre Czech circuit. Grip levels evolved throughout the day, forcing teams to constantly adjust setups while riders searched for confidence on a demanding and technical layout.

By the end of Free Practice 2, it was Garrett Gerloff and Kawasaki WorldSBK Team who emerged at the top of the timesheets after an impressive recovery from an early crash in the morning session.

The American rider posted a best lap of 1:30.791 during the afternoon session and looked consistently strong across both short and long runs, placing Kawasaki at the top of the standings heading into Saturday.

Meanwhile, championship leader Nicolo Bulega endured a frustrating and dramatic afternoon after suffering a crash at Turn 1 that prematurely ended his session.

Despite the setback, the Ducati rider still finished second overall on combined times, underlining both his pace and Ducati’s continuing strength at Most.

The opening day also produced encouraging performances for Sam Lowes, Alex Lowes, Iker Lecuona, Danilo Petrucci and returning BMW rider Michael van der Mark as the Czech Round immediately delivered one of the closest Friday sessions of the season so far.

Gerloff Bounces Back After Early Crash

Kawasaki Rider Finds Major Improvement in FP2

Garrett Gerloff’s rise to the top of the leaderboard was particularly impressive considering how difficult his Friday morning initially appeared.

The American crashed during the early stages of Free Practice 1 and admitted afterwards that he struggled with confidence and overall bike feeling during the opening session.

However, significant setup changes ahead of FP2 completely transformed his pace.

Gerloff immediately looked more comfortable during the afternoon and steadily climbed the timesheets while completing a highly productive 35-lap workload across the day.

What made his performance even more encouraging for Kawasaki was the consistency shown on race tyres rather than qualifying rubber.

Initially believing his fastest lap came while using a softer tyre option, Gerloff later discovered the time had actually been achieved using a race tyre — an important sign ahead of the weekend’s longer races.

The result represents another positive step for Kawasaki as the manufacturer continues searching for greater consistency against Ducati and BMW across the 2026 campaign.

Gerloff’s confidence around Most was visible through the circuit’s flowing second sector, where the Kawasaki appeared particularly stable under direction changes and corner entry.

After several difficult weekends earlier this season, Friday’s performance could mark an important turning point for both rider and team.

Bulega’s Strong Pace Overshadowed by Heavy Crash

Championship Leader Ends Afternoon Early

Although Nicolo Bulega finished Friday second overall, the Italian’s afternoon session ended in frustration after a costly crash at Turn 1.

The Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider had looked extremely competitive before the incident and appeared to be steadily improving lap by lap after a less convincing morning session.

Bulega admitted afterwards that he was still struggling slightly through Turns 6 and 7, particularly under braking while attempting to stop the Ducati cleanly into the tighter sections of the circuit.

Earlier in the session, the championship leader also ran wide at Turn 6 before eventually crashing at Turn 1 while continuing to push for improvements.

While the crash itself was not physically serious, the damage to the Ducati Panigale V4 R proved extensive enough to prevent him from returning to the track.

As a result, Bulega completed only six laps during the afternoon session, limiting the amount of race preparation work completed ahead of Saturday.

Even so, his pace prior to the incident remained highly competitive.

Despite losing valuable track time, Bulega still finished only 0.066 seconds behind Gerloff in the combined standings, further highlighting Ducati’s outright speed at Most.

The Italian continues leading the championship and remains one of the clear favourites for victory this weekend, provided the Ducati squad can resolve some of the braking instability issues identified on Friday.

Sam Lowes Continues Strong Form for Marc VDS Ducati

British Rider Targets Another Podium Challenge

Sam Lowes continued his excellent recent run of form by ending Friday third fastest overall for the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team.

The British rider endured a disrupted morning session after a technical issue reduced valuable mileage aboard his Ducati, but the afternoon proved significantly more productive.

Lowes completed an impressive 18-lap run during FP2 and consistently circulated at competitive pace throughout longer stints.

Importantly, his performance suggested genuine race pace rather than simply one fast qualifying-style lap.

The former Moto2 title contender has steadily grown more comfortable with the Ducati package during recent rounds and now appears increasingly capable of regularly challenging inside the top five.

Lowes admitted after the session that while Bulega still looked exceptionally fast over shorter runs, he remained satisfied with both his rhythm and overall consistency.

His confidence through the final sector of Most appeared particularly strong, allowing him to carry excellent speed onto the circuit’s longer acceleration zones.

With changing weather conditions expected throughout the weekend, Lowes could become a serious podium contender if he maintains Friday’s momentum.

Strong Friday for Ducati and Bimota Contingent

Lecuona and Alex Lowes Impress in Tight Top Ten

Behind the leading trio, several riders enjoyed productive opening days despite difficult track conditions.

Iker Lecuona continued his impressive adaptation to Ducati machinery by finishing fourth overall.

The Spaniard once again looked aggressive and confident under braking, particularly through Most’s tighter first sector, where he consistently attacked corner entry harder than many of his rivals.

Lecuona’s growing confidence on the Ducati Panigale continues becoming one of the more important stories inside the WorldSBK paddock this season.

Alex Lowes also enjoyed a positive recovery after suffering a morning crash at Turn 20.

The bimota by Kawasaki rider immediately returned to competitive pace during FP2 and ultimately secured fifth position overall.

Bimota’s machine appeared especially strong through the circuit’s flowing middle sector, where its agility and direction-change speed suited the layout well.

Teammate Axel Bassani also finished comfortably inside the top ten in seventh position, reinforcing the manufacturer’s encouraging start to the Czech Round.

Petrucci and van der Mark Keep BMW Competitive

Dutch Rider Returns to WorldSBK Action

ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team enjoyed a solid opening day with both riders finishing inside the top ten.

Danilo Petrucci ended Friday sixth fastest as the Italian continued rebuilding confidence following several heavy crashes at Balaton Park last weekend.

Petrucci once again looked particularly competitive under braking and through the circuit’s stop-start opening sector.

The experienced Italian has traditionally performed strongly at Most, and Friday’s pace suggested another podium challenge could be possible.

Alongside him, Michael van der Mark marked his return to WorldSBK competition by finishing tenth overall.

The Dutchman replaces injured Miguel Oliveira this weekend and gradually improved throughout both sessions as he reacclimatised to race conditions.

While van der Mark admitted beforehand that race weekends immediately switch his mentality from testing to competition mode, Friday’s performance already suggested he could fight for stronger positions as the weekend progresses.

Combined WorldSBK Results After FP2

Friday Classification Tightens at the Front

The top six riders finished separated by less than half a second after Friday practice, underlining just how competitive the Czech Round could become.

Combined Results After FP2

1. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) – 1:30.791
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) +0.066
3. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.142
4. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) +0.208
5. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.275
6. Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.426

Can Oncu Smashes Lap Record to Claim Supersport Pole

Yamaha Rider Continues Strong 2026 Momentum

In WorldSSP, Can Oncu continued his impressive season by securing pole position for Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing.

The Turkish rider delivered a stunning lap of 1:33.802 to set a new circuit lap record and secure his second Superpole result of the year.

Oncu narrowly defeated Lucas Mahias as Yamaha locked out the top two positions on the grid.

Valentin Debise originally qualified third fastest but received a three-place grid penalty for slow riding during Free Practice, promoting Albert Arenas onto the front row.

Oncu explained afterwards that growing confidence within the team had been a key factor behind recent improvements.

The Turkish rider admitted the early part of the season involved an adjustment period while adapting to the team environment and working methods, but recent rounds have shown clear progress.

Championship contender Jaume Masia endured a disappointing session and could only manage 12th position on the grid — a potentially costly result for the title fight.

WorldSSP Superpole Results

1. Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) – 1:33.802
2. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.050
3. Valentin Debise (EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory) +0.082
4. Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) +0.095
5. Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +0.189
6. Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.323

David Salvador Takes Maiden World Championship Pole

Kawasaki Rider Leads Competitive WorldSSP300 Session

WorldSSP300 qualifying produced another breakthrough moment as David Salvador secured his first Superpole position in World Championship competition.

The Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI rider edged Matteo Vannucci and Loris Veneman in an incredibly tight session.

Salvador stressed the importance of qualifying strongly at Most, where close racing and limited overtaking opportunities make grid position particularly valuable.

The Spanish rider now heads into Saturday’s race carrying significant momentum after one of the strongest qualifying performances of his career.

Elsewhere, previous race winners Jeffrey Buis and Ferre Fleerackers struggled to replicate earlier form and qualified only 12th and 14th respectively.

Australian rider Carter Thompson delivered his best qualifying performance of the season in ninth position, while Kove continued showing progress with Benat Fernandez inside the top ten.

WorldSSP300 Superpole Results

1. David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) – 1:39.473
2. Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2) +0.085
3. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.147
4. Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph) +0.153
5. Antonio Torres (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) +0.330
6. Kas Beekmans (VLR Racing Team Suzuki) +0.384

Saturday Set for Unpredictable Battles at Most

Weather Could Still Play Major Role

With rain clouds continuing to threaten the circuit and the top riders separated by incredibly small margins, Saturday’s races at Most are shaping up to be among the most unpredictable of the 2026 WorldSBK season.

Garrett Gerloff’s surprise rise to the top has added another manufacturer into the fight at the front, while Ducati, BMW, Bimota and Yamaha all showed competitive pace across the various classes.

Much now depends on how conditions evolve overnight.

If mixed weather returns, strategy and tyre management could become just as important as outright speed around one of the most technical circuits on the calendar.