Jake Dixon after his MotoGP outing: “Cal Crutchlow is a challenge”
Honda fielded Jake Dixon at the MotoGP in Qatar as a replacement for the ailing factory rider Joan Mir. To support him at the Losail Circuit, the team paired him with veteran Cal Crutchlow.
This article is an automatically generated English version. The
Jake Dixon auf der MotoGP-Honda
Foto: Gold and Goose Photography
Jake Dixon auf der MotoGP-Honda
© Gold and Goose Photography
Honda’s MotoGP works rider Joan Mir has been battling a mysterious illness for months and missed the Grands Prix in Austria, Japan, Indonesia and Australia. Mir and the team led by MotoGP chief medical officer Dr Angel Charte had decided that he needed to take a break to get to the bottom of the cause of his illness. The 2020 world champion was given the all-clear for Sepang, but had to
The leading motorbike manufacturer put forward Jake Dixon as a replacement rider; he competes full-time for Honda Racing Corporation in the World Superbike Championship. The Englishman was – let’s say – deeply annoyed when Honda brought in his team-mate Somkiat Chantra as a replacement for the Japanese Grand Prix instead of him, despite the fact that he has been performing significantly better in the production-based World Championship.
Jake Dixon: Only two MotoGP weekends previously
Before the Qatar weekend, Dixon had hardly any MotoGP experience; the now 30-year-old had only stepped in for the injured Italian Franco Morbidelli at the 2021 events at Silverstone and Aragon with the then Yamaha satellite team, Petronas SRT.
At the Lusail Circuit, Dixon put in a decent performance and showed a steep learning curve. In a field reduced to just 18 riders – Yamaha had withdrawn its quartet due to the conflict in the Persian Gulf – he qualified in 17th place and was, after all, faster than Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Although he crossed the finish line last in both races, some of his lap times were astonishing. After all, it’s worth remembering that Dixon rode this bike for the very first time on Friday during FP1!
Jake Dixon freute sich über die Honda-Chance
Foto: Gold and Goose Photography
Jake Dixon freute sich über die Honda-Chance
© Gold and Goose Photography
With his third-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest of the 36 Formula 1 world champions to date. The 20-year-old Italian is on a record-breaking run. The Tifosi are dreaming of Antonelli in a Ferrari.
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Dixon had to learn the Honda from scratch
“The team really helped me between sessions to understand how to ride the bike,” explained the seven-time Moto2 GP winner. “They have all the information and gave me the right advice; that was very good. It might sound silly, but they told me which gear to be in and how to handle the bike. I was opening the throttle too early in the corners and little things like that – in the truest sense of the word. For example, not using the front brake in some corners to maintain cornering speed. It was mainly about confidence.”
Honda had assigned Cal Crutchlow to Dixon as a riding coach and mentor in the Arabian desert. “Cal is a challenge,” Dixon said with a smile about his compatriot. “He means business and has helped me a lot, because he’s ridden this bike himself this year. He has so much experience in MotoGP; he understands the whole situation. Although he was critical of me, he also praised me at the same time. For example, he said: ‘You have to be satisfied with being so close to the front.’ But he also said it would be silly of me to cling to the bike like that. Still, he said that was normal, that you need time – which I didn’t have. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it and took it as it came.”
What I felt and said might not be entirely accurate.Jake Dixon on his Honda debut in MotoGP
“You can tell these lads are flying,” Dixon explained. “And you could tell they’re on top of things and know their bikes inside out. With every lap, I learnt how the bike behaves and how it reacts when I do certain things. But it was good; it was fun. The bike’s running well, really well. But what I’m feeling and saying might not be entirely accurate. That’s why I told the team to do whatever they think is right, based on their experience and knowledge.”
Willkommen zum Rennen in Katar
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Willkommen zum Rennen in Katar
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