Bulega tops Jerez MotoGP test day
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 12, 2026
Final-day pace
Nicolo Bulega ended the Jerez test with the fastest lap of the second and final day, and he did it in improved conditions after an afternoon rain pause. He put the Ducati GP27 on top with a best lap of 1:39.253, a sharp step forward from the opening wet session and the clearest headline from a private 850cc MotoGP outing that served as one last shake-down before the next official round of testing. Bulega handled the workload with control. He completed 27 laps in the morning, then cut back his work in the afternoon as the track evolved and the test moved toward its close. That pace put him ahead of a field that used the two days to gather data, compare package changes and get one more look at the 2027 direction before the next stage of the program. The timing matters because this Jerez run came as the final private test before Pirelli’s official MotoGP debut test at Valencia, where the 2027 grid will take part with official timing. Jerez gave the riders a controlled environment. Valencia will give the teams and tire supplier a more formal benchmark. Bulega left Jerez with the day’s best number and the strongest finish of the test.
Espargaro opened
Pol Espargaro set the tone on the opening day when rain hit Jerez and forced the test into a wet-session grind. He was fastest in the morning for KTM with a best lap of 1:54.458, and he opened the test with a clear advantage in conditions that made pace harder to read and laps harder to string together. Espargaro finished 0.798 seconds ahead of Bulega on the first day, which gave him the early lead in the two-day order before the weather changed and the track dried enough for faster times later. Lorenzo Savadori finished third on the opening day, 2.3 seconds behind Espargaro, another marker of how much the rain shaped the first part of the test. Bulega’s own first day showed a measured approach. He eased off in the afternoon, which kept his program focused on mileage and adjustment rather than chasing a headline time in poor conditions. The opening day mattered because it set the baseline for the rest of the outing. Riders had to work through the wet surface, gather initial feedback and prepare for the better weather that came later. Espargaro’s early speed gave KTM the first top line of the test, but the improved second day shifted the order and placed the spotlight on Bulega by the end.
Savadori and Pirro
Lorenzo Savadori and Michele Pirro gave the second day depth behind Bulega, and both riders put in useful mileage as the test moved into its final hours. Savadori finished second, 0.316 seconds behind Bulega, and he completed more than 50 laps across the day. That workload made him one of the busiest riders on track and gave his team a large sample of data from the improved conditions. Espargaro stayed in the mix as well and finished third, 0.852 seconds off Bulega’s pace, which kept the opening-day leader near the front once the surface improved. Pirro took fourth with a lap of 1:43.012 and spent the test on a broader development program. He continued work on the Ducati Panigale V4 for 2027, and he also rode both Superbike and 850cc machinery. That split program underlined the practical side of the Jerez outing, where lap times mattered but so did comparison work across different bikes and specifications. Not every rider took part. Iker Lecuona did not ride at the test, leaving the focus on the group that did complete the final private run before Valencia. By the end of Jerez, the test had delivered a clear order on the final day, a wet and delayed opening session, and one more round of development work before Pirelli’s official MotoGP debut test with the 2027 grid and official timing.
