Riding the 2026 WorldSBK version of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR, with some new aerodynamic and other developments for the forthcoming season, Gerloff found that the weather conditions were often not ideal as he got back into track mode after two months off the bike during the winter break.

A small period in the final afternoon delivered almost dry track conditions, although some damp patches persisted, preventing a full evaluation of any new parts or set-up changes.

Gerloff made the most of the drier period to go 11th fastest, setting a 1’40.445 best lap.

Now the Kawasaki WorldSBK Team is hoping for better weather for the next pre-season tests, which are scheduled to take place at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal, between 28 and 29 January.

The 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship season begins at Phillip Island in Australia, between 20-22 February, after the now traditional official tests between 16-17 February. 

Garrett Gerloff stated: “I have been waiting for two months to get out here and ride the bike, but the weather has been horrible at times. It is frustrating for the team and myself. In the end, we got 20 laps in the dry-ish conditions. It was like half wet and half dry out there. It was a little sketchy, and a lot of guys crashed on the water at T5, so luckily we stayed up on two wheels. I got to feel a bit of a difference in the aero package from last year, but in the end, it wasn’t enough laps to really get a full feeling for everything, so we still need more time. I felt I was able to turn better in the faster corners, and that I had the front a bit more planted on the ground. I did not get a whole lot of time to do back-to-back with anything.”