Jake Dixon is convinced: in a perfect world, Honda would be as good as Bimota

As Jake Dixon suffered a heavy crash during the Phillip Island test and sustained a complex hand injury, the former Moto2 rider did not make his debut until the sixth round of the season at Aragon. However, due to pain and swelling, the 30-year-old sat out Sunday’s race and has therefore only contested one race so far, as the Honda works rider was again absent at Misano to rest ahead of his home race at Donington Park.

Preparations for the Donington Park round began with a test on Tuesday this week. Dixon’s hand has now improved significantly. “I feel ready to tackle the race weekend at Donington in two weeks’ time,” the Englishman assured.

Given his lack of time on the bike, strong results are unlikely for Dixon. However, the Honda rider has gained enough insight to be able to gauge what might have been.

“Our pace at Aragón would have been good enough for tenth place. In some sectors, the Honda is really good, but where it’s poor, it’s very poor,” said Dixon during a small press briefing. “So we still need to work out how best to set up the chassis to suit my needs. There’s still untapped potential in the bike, but of course in me as well.”

Dixon puts forward a bold theory: “If I were 100 per cent fit, had had a perfect pre-season and had raced in every race, we could be on a par with Bimota. Ducati would be out of reach, but we could keep up with Bimota. And that should be our goal until the end of the season.”