Misano, Superpole: A Kawasaki Ninja ahead of two Aprilia RS660s

The meeting in Misano marks the start of the second half of the new 2026 World Sportbike Championship season. Phillip Tonn, who had already missed the races in Most and Aragon due to a hand injury, will not be on the grid; Kove Racing Team 109 has signed Alessandro Zanca as a replacement. An additional Aprilia RS660 will bring guest starter Filippo Bianchi to the starting grid.

The Italian proved that Bianchi is a force to be reckoned with by setting the fastest time in free practice in 1:42.916 min. Second fastest was Matteo Vannucci, one of the two regular Aprilia riders. With Kawasaki, Triumph, Yamaha, Kove and Suzuki, every committed manufacturer was represented with at least one bike in the top 13.

The Superpole at 14:10 took place in summery conditions. World championship leader Daid Salvador set the first impressive lap time after five minutes in 1:43.761 min. The first crash of the session was caused by Carl Harris, who rides for Miguel Oliveira's Sportbike team. The lap times plummeted over the next few minutes. The first time under 1:43 min was set by Carter Thompson (Yamaha), until Bianchi set a higher benchmark with a 1:42.731 min.

Wildcard rider Filippo Bianchi (Aprilia): Crash after best time

It was also the guest starter who set a new best time of 1:42.417 minutes at the halfway point - and then crashed in turn 4! At this point, the Aprilia rider was 0.4 seconds ahead of Vannucci and 0.5 seconds ahead of Thompson. In fourth place, Salvador was the best Kawasaki rider, 0.7 seconds behind.

With eight minutes to go, the first riders went on the hunt for times. The first to go was Salvador, who stormed to first place in 1:42.280 min. Meanwhile, a Suzuki rider, Jeffrey Buis (+0.5 sec), made his first appearance in the top five.

In the final phase, some riders had their lap times cancelled due to yellow flags, for example when Thompson ditched his Yamaha R7 in the gravel after improving to fourth place. The result was pole position for Kawasaki ace Salavador ahead of Aprilia riders Bianchi and Vannucci. With Thompson (Yamaha), Bruno Ieraci (Triumph) and Buis (Suzuki), the second row of the grid is a colourful mix.

300cc World Champion Benat Fernandez put the Kove 450RR in 13th position, followed by Taiyo Akso on the only Honda CBR600RR.