SBK | The “warm” winter of the world championship: here are the dates and locations of the tests

In the last two months we have had a small taste of what the 2024 World Superbike season will be, with debuts, confirmations and big surprises. However, the best is yet to come because with the arrival of January we start again and the championship begins to get back to its core.

It is not yet time to turn off the lights and start the season, but the time has certainly come to prepare for the 13 rounds in which we will fight to win the title. Can anyone beat Alvaro Bautista? Will Spanish repeat itself? Who will be the Ducati rider's biggest opponents?

There are many questions we still don't know how to answer, but we can get a first idea with the winter tests which are just around the corner. After the first approaches seen last November in Jerez, now is the time to put the work done over the winter to the test, to continue to progress and arrive as prepared as possible at the start of the season in Australia.

Holidays over, we start again on January 24th, for two days of testing on the Jerez track. The circuit named after Ángel Nieto hosts the first part of the tests as usual, in which it will be important to shake off some rust and start familiarizing ourselves with the speeds and also with the new bikes for those who are making their debut.

This is the case of Jonathan Rea, who will race with Yamaha in 2024, leaving Kawasaki. In his place we find Axel Bassani, who makes his debut in an official team and will be riding the ZX-10RR. Toprak Razgatlioglu will also take part in the tests, as he will have his first comparison with his rivals as a BMW driver. There is also a lot of anticipation for Andrea Iannone, who performed well on this track in the November tests and now sets off again from Jerez with the Goeleven team's Ducati to consolidate the package.

A few days' break, just enough time to move from Andalusia to the Algarve: after the Jerez tests, it's Portimao's turn. The Portuguese racetrack hosts another two days of testing on 29 and 30 January, replicating the scheme implemented in previous years. Jerez and Portimao are home to winter testing, where riders and teams begin to lay the foundations for the 2024 season, before loading up the crates and sending everything to Australia.

Phillip Island itself will host not only the opening round of the championship, but also the last two days of testing. We return to the pre-Covid format, in which the Australian track becomes the scene of the finishing touches before leaving. The last test session will take place on 19 and 20 February, then on the weekend from 23 to 25 February the season will officially kick off.

We remind you that in addition to the official tests listed below, the World Superbike teams will have the opportunity to carry out private tests, both before and during the season.

SBK test dates 2024

24-25 January – Circuito de Jerez Ángel Nieto

29-30 January – Autodromo Internacional do Algarve

February 19-20 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit