Superpole qualifying for the 2026 WorldSSP Spanish round at Jerez, round twelve, concluded on October 16. EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory's Valentin Debise was twelfth and Federico Caricasulo 25th, both on Zhang Xue 820RR bikes. Albert Arenas took pole in 1:41.084, with Jorge Navarro second and Can Öncü third.
Debise 0.988 seconds from pole
Debise completed thirteen laps, best 1:42.072, 0.988 seconds behind. He was 0.018 behind eleventh-placed Lucas Mahias and 0.036 ahead of Filippo Farioli.
Caricasulo completed fourteen laps and set 1:42.885 for 25th, 1.801 seconds back. The Zhang Xue riders' best laps differed by 0.813 seconds.
They were eighteenth and sixteenth in morning practice. Debise rose to twelfth and Caricasulo dropped to 25th despite both improving: Debise from 1:43.037 to 1:42.072, Caricasulo from 1:42.926 to 1:42.885.
Runner-up already secured, but finale results remain
The team's October 14 preview confirmed Debise secured championship runner-up at Estoril. He targeted another Jerez podium and a win; starting twelfth requires recovering several places to meet that podium aim.
Arenas leads, Navarro second despite crash
Navarro continued after a Turn 6 crash and set 1:41.435, 0.351 behind. Öncü was third in 1:41.462, followed by Dominique Aegerter, Jérémy Alcoba and Mattia Casadei.
Qualifying was dry, with 30°C air and 38°C track.
Jaume Masiá was declared unfit before qualifying and is absent from the 32-rider valid timing list. The current provisional Race 1 grid also lists Debise twelfth and Caricasulo 25th.
The grid notes No. 47 Eric Fernandez must serve a Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding in Estoril Race 2, taking a designated longer route beside the circuit before rejoining. The qualifying times follow.
Complete Superpole results
| Position | Bike number | Rider | Team | Bike | Category marker | Fastest lap | Gap to first (seconds) | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | A.ARENAS | AS BLU CRU Racing Team | Yamaha YZF-R9 | — | 1'41.084 | — | 13 |
| 2 | 9 | J.NAVARRO | PTR Triumph Factory Racing | Triumph Street Triple 765 RS | — | 1'41.435 | 0.351 | 12 |
| 3 | 61 | C.ONCU | Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing | Yamaha YZF-R9 | — | 1'41.462 | 0.378 | 17 |
| 4 | 77 | D.AEGERTER | Kawasaki WorldSSP Team | Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 | — | 1'41.476 | 0.392 | 17 |
| 5 | 52 | J.ALCOBA | Kawasaki WorldSSP Team | Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 | — | 1'41.562 | 0.478 | 15 |
| 6 | 40 | M.CASADEI | D34G WorldSSP Racing Team | Ducati Panigale V2 | — | 1'41.626 | 0.542 | 16 |
| 7 | 69 | T.BOOTH-AMOS | PTR Triumph Factory Racing | Triumph Street Triple 765 RS | — | 1'41.649 | 0.565 | 14 |
| 8 | 11 | M.FERRARI | WRP Racing | Ducati Panigale V2 | — | 1'41.709 | 0.625 | 18 |
| 9 | 16 | A.ZACCONE | Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team | Ducati Panigale V2 | — | 1'41.974 | 0.890 | 14 |
| 10 | 43 | S.JESPERSEN | EAB Racing Team | Ducati Panigale V2 | — | 1'42.034 | 0.950 | 16 |
| 11 | 94 | L.MAHIAS | GMT94 Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-R9 | — | 1'42.054 | 0.970 | 12 |
| 12 | 53 | V.DEBISE | EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory | ZXMOTO 820RR | — | 1'42.072 | 0.988 | 13 |
| 13 | 7 | F.FARIOLI | VFT Racing Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-R9 | — | 1'42.108 | 1.024 | 14 |
| 14 | 47 | E.FERNANDEZ | Cerba Yamaha Racing Team | Yamaha YZF-R9 | — | 1'42.153 | 1.069 | 13 |
| 15 | 50 | O.VOSTATEK | Compos Racing Team | Triumph Street Triple 765 RS | — | 1'42.165 | 1.081 | 17 |
| 16 | 6 | C.PEROLARI | Honda Racing World Supersport | Honda CBR600RR | * | 1'42.340 | 1.256 | 15 |
| 17 | 37 | R.GARCIA | GMT94 Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-R9 | — | 1'42.382 | 1.298 | 15 |
| 18 | 91 | B.JIMENEZ | WRP Racing | Ducati Panigale V2 | — | 1'42.403 | 1.319 | 19 |
| 19 | 65 | P.OETTL | Feel Racing WorldSSP Team | Ducati Panigale V2 | — | 1'42.429 | 1.345 | 17 |
| 20 | 10 | L.TACCINI | Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team | Ducati Panigale V2 | — | 1'42.455 | 1.371 | 14 |
| 21 | 31 | Y.OKAMOTO | Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing | Yamaha YZF-R9 | — | 1'42.510 | 1.426 | 19 |
| 22 | 70 | J.WHATLEY | Orelac Racing Verdnatura | Ducati Panigale V2 | — | 1'42.576 | 1.492 | 17 |
| 23 | 3 | R.DE ROSA | QJMOTOR Factory Racing | QJMOTOR SRK 800 RS | * | 1'42.603 | 1.519 | 13 |
| 24 | 57 | A.MAHENDRA | AS BLU CRU Racing Team | Yamaha YZF-R9 | — | 1'42.801 | 1.717 | 16 |
| 25 | 64 | F.CARICASULO | EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory | ZXMOTO 820RR | — | 1'42.885 | 1.801 | 14 |
| 26 | 25 | O.KONIG | Compos Racing Team | Triumph Street Triple 765 RS | — | 1'43.098 | 2.014 | 17 |
| 27 | 28 | M.TAPIA | Renzi Corse | Ducati Panigale V2 | — | 1'43.214 | 2.130 | 16 |
| 28 | 99 | B.SOFUOGLU | QJMOTOR Factory Racing | QJMOTOR SRK 800 RS | * | 1'43.456 | 2.372 | 19 |
| 29 | 23 | S.DI SORA | Flembbo by Racing Development | MV Agusta F3 800 RR | — | 1'43.644 | 2.560 | 17 |
| 30 | 19 | A.KOFLER | Motorsport Kofler | Yamaha YZF-R9 | * | 1'43.775 | 2.691 | 17 |
| 31 | 88 | A.GIOMBINI | Motozoo by Madforce Dubai | MV Agusta F3 800 RR | — | 1'43.893 | 2.809 | 16 |
| 32 | 22 | A.CARRASCO | Honda Racing World Supersport | Honda CBR600RR | * | 1'44.031 | 2.947 | 16 |
* denotes a WorldSSP Challenge entry.
INKA SPORTS analysis: Why personal improvements and positions diverge
Qualifying compares the whole field in one session, not simply personal improvement from morning. Debise's gap to the session leader changed from 1.017 to 0.988 seconds; Caricasulo's expanded from 0.906 to 1.801. Track temperatures differed, 32°C and 38°C. Across changed conditions, Debise kept pace with the benchmark, while Caricasulo improved personally but lost relative ground.
Conclusion
The important change is relative to each session's benchmark: Debise remained around one second behind, Caricasulo moved from under one to 1.801. The provisional grid puts them on rows four and nine, with Debise just 0.018 behind eleventh. Qualifying defines their starting circumstances; sustained race pace and positions will further test competitiveness.
