Kawasaki WorldSSP Team Jeremy Alcoba and Dominique Aegerter will soon race for championship points on their Ninja ZX-6R 636 machines, after completing a two-day test at the classic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, in Australia.
Testing action took place between 16-17 February, with Alcoba finishing up eighth fastest around the 4.445km-long layout that will also form the backdrop for the opening WorldSSP round in a few days’ time.
Aegerter, a double World SSP Champion now back in WorldSSP after some years of WorldSBK competition, was 24th fastest, having mostly worked with his new team to find a race weekend bike setting after wet conditions were encountered during previous European-based winter tests.
Both riders left the testing phase of the 2026 WorldSSP pre-season largely satisfied with their base setting for race weekend, even if they lost much of the fourth and final track session on Tuesday 17 February to a period of heavy rainfall.
On Friday, 20 February, the WorldSSP riders will take part in a Free Practice session, then Superpole qualifying. On Saturday the first race of the year will get underway, over 18 laps, with a second 18-lap contest scheduled for Sunday 22 February.
Manuel Puccetti
“As for Supersport, the wet winter tests mean that Aegerter definitely needs more time on the bike and beyond the races, we’re planning more tests once we get back to Europe. Alcoba has shown to be very competitive at this track; he knows how to exploit the potential of his Ninja ZX-6R 636. I expect a strong first championship round from him”.
Jeremy Alcoba
“After a long time, this is the first test we have been to in dry conditions with the bike – so I am happy for that. The tests we had before, in Jerez and Portimao, were held in wet conditions. We were fast in the wet conditions, but here, the first time in the dry this year, we tried many things. In the beginning, we were struggling a bit, but in the end, I can say that I am quite happy with the pace before the rain came along. Finally, I found ‘my bike’. I could push, I understood the bike and everything. The feeling we had when we finished last season, I found again during this test. We have tested many things, and we know the way we can continue in this weekend for the first races of 2026.”
Dominique Aegerter
“We were very lucky in that finally we had some sunshine, if not for the full two days. In the final session, we could not really ride because there was some rain. We still have a lot of work in front of us, but step-by-step, we are learning the bike and finding out what setting I need. Race weekend will be soon, but for sure, we are more prepared for race weekend now.”
