Honda debacle at Donington Park – Dixon and Chantra stood no chance

Honda had a Saturday to forget at the Superbike meeting at Donington Park. FP3 had looked promising – Jake Dixon finished the practice session in 7th place – but in qualifying, Somkiat Chantra and Dixon could only manage 16th and 17th on the grid. Things went even worse in Race 1 that afternoon. Shortly after the start, the pair fell even further back. In the end, Dixon and Chantra crossed the finish line in 18th and 20th place respectively. Their finishing times were 40.995 and 58.659 seconds behind the winner.

“It was clearly a difficult race. We’d actually had a positive morning in FP3, and it was good to finish in the top 10. But the race then highlighted the difficulties we’re struggling with, particularly when accelerating out of corners and, more generally, with the rear of the bike,” lamented local hero Dixon. “We still need to improve significantly. We’ve taken a good step forward with the front-end set-up this weekend, but we still need to work on the rear. After the race, I told the team that we should try something new for tomorrow, because at the moment we’ve actually got nothing to lose. This is my first race back in good physical shape, and it’s important that we stay positive, even though it’s tough for everyone involved at the moment. We need to keep our heads up and keep fighting.”

Chantra also found it hard to stay positive after a disappointing Saturday. “It was a difficult race for me. Compared to Superpole, the feeling was completely different, and I had more problems with grip during the race,” said the Thai rider. “I tried to give it my all and do my best, but I found it hard to find the confidence I needed. We’ll analyse everything with the team this evening and try again tomorrow.”

The only ray of hope for Honda came from test and wildcard rider Jonathan Rea. The six-time Superbike champion secured 10th on the grid in Superpole. In the race, the Northern Irishman fell back after the start. In the closing stages, he was forced to head for the pits on his CBR1000RR-R and retire.

Honda’s poor performance is all the more disappointing given that the Japanese manufacturer tested at Donington in June under similar conditions.

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