CRUTCHLOW PRAISES DIXON AFTER FIRST MOTOGP POINTS IN QATAR

Jake Dixon earned his first MotoGP points at the Qatar Grand Prix, finishing 14th on his return to the premier class after last racing there in 2021. The Brit was deputising for Joan Mir at the factory Honda team while Mir continued recovering from illness. Mir had also missed several earlier Grands Prix and, after returning at Sepang, retired from the main race with dizziness.

Dixon, a full-time Honda Racing Corporation rider in the Superbike World Championship, had little recent MotoGP experience: before Qatar, his only premier-class outings were two races in 2021, when he stood in for Franco Morbidelli at Petronas SRT. He was surprised when Honda chose Somkiat Chantra rather than him as a replacement for the Japanese Grand Prix, despite Dixon’s stronger results in the production-based championship.

It was a difficult weekend from the outset. Dixon crashed on his out lap in Friday practice and qualified 17th. He finished last on the road in Saturday’s Sprint, 19 seconds behind winner Marc Márquez. Sunday’s race began more promisingly: from the back row of the depleted 16-rider grid, he passed Franco Morbidelli and Maverick Viñales and held them behind him. But a mistake at Turn 1 on lap four cost him four seconds and broke contact with the group. He was later promoted to 14th after Brad Binder and Diogo Moreira retired, collecting two points. Dixon finished 28.7 seconds behind winner Marco Bezzecchi and 7.6 seconds behind Viñales.

Dixon said he was pleased to score on his debut, but frustrated by the early error. “It’s great to get points on our debut, more than I could have hoped for when I was on the plane over here,” he said. “I went wide at Turn 1 during the opening laps of the race and I lost contact with the group. Honestly, I was annoyed about it because when I looked at the times after the race I would have been able to stay with those guys.” He thanked everyone at HRC and the Honda HRC Castrol team for helping him improve through the weekend, adding that he had gone faster in the Grand Prix than in the Sprint. “Seventy-four laps is all we had this weekend, that’s what these riders usually do in a single day of testing, so we really need to be happy and enjoy this moment. What a great experience it has been. It’s all gone too quickly!”

The Qatar field was unusually small, with only 16 riders taking part after Yamaha withdrew its bikes. Francesco Bagnaia was absent following his Sprint crash, while Dixon’s teammate Luca Marini withdrew because of ongoing fatigue. Dixon was the sixth rider to race in factory HRC Castrol colours this season, following Mir, Marini, Takaaki Nakagami, Chantra and Aleix Espargaro.

Dixon had to learn the RC213V from scratch, having first ridden it in Friday’s opening practice. He credited the team with helping him understand how to ride it, including advice on gear choice, throttle timing and when to avoid using the front brake to preserve corner speed. “It was mainly about confidence,” he said. He added that he was learning how the bike reacted with every lap, but cautioned: “What I felt and said might not be quite right,” so he trusted the team to make decisions based on its experience.

Fellow Briton Cal Crutchlow was assigned as Dixon’s riding coach and mentor. “Cal is a challenge,” Dixon joked, describing him as serious but hugely helpful because he had ridden the Honda that year and understood the situation. Crutchlow was critical as well as encouraging: he told Dixon to be pleased with how close he was to the front, but also warned him against clinging too tightly to the bike, while recognising that adapting takes time. Dixon said he enjoyed the experience and took it as it came.

Dixon’s fight drew praise from the TNT Sports commentators. Neil Hodgson called out his position during the race: “Quick shoutout for Jake Dixon. He’s in 14th place ahead of Maverick Vinales and Frankie Morbidelli.” After the pair got past Dixon, Gavin Emmett noted that he had lost two seconds, prompting Hodgson to joke: “Commentator’s curse. I’m good at that!” Emmett also said Crutchlow had been “very proud” of Dixon’s performance.

Hodgson stressed how demanding a MotoGP debut or return can be, particularly when adapting to the tyres: “It’s not easy jumping onto a MotoGP bike. That is a fact.” He pointed to the difficulty of understanding the Michelin front tyre, citing Toprak Razgatlıoğlu’s struggles with it during the season. Despite the setbacks, Dixon left Qatar with his first premier-class points and the backing of a compatriot who knew the challenge firsthand.