Deadline set for new British rider to land 2024 MotoGP seat

While there were no more official movements in the 2024 MotoGP rider market at Silverstone, the next few weeks are expected to see more pieces fall into place – and decide the chances of Jake Dixon and Tony Arbolino.

Peter McLaren

09 Aug 2023

Fabio Quartararo, Jake Dixon, British MotoGP, 3 August

Arbolino and Dixon are seeking to join Moto2 rival Pedro Acosta in moving to the premier class next season.

By the end of the Silverstone weekend, rumours were circulating that Gresini Ducati, long seen as Arbolino’s best chance, could also be a viable option for Dixon.

The British rider has been speaking to MotoGP teams since June, even before his first grand prix victory at Assen, and confirmed the quest was ongoing as he arrived for his home round.

“100%. I want to be in the MotoGP class. But there are limited spaces and a lot of riders,” Dixon said. “My manager is talking to everyone and will do the best that he can do.

“There’s no more I can do. He told me at Assen, ‘It would help if you win’. I won! I’ve just got to perform so let’s see what happens.”

The current log jam in the rider market will start to clear when Marco Bezzecchi either decides to stay at VR46 (on a year-old Ducati) or switch to Pramac with a factory contract and the latest spec Desmosedici GP24.

Bezzecchi’s future will in turn affect whether Johann Zarco stays at Pramac for a fourth season. If not, the Frenchman’s likely choices are a switch to Gresini or, as he confirmed at Silverstone, a potential move to LCR Honda.

A Bezzecchi-Pramac deal would open the way for Franco Morbidelli to slot in at VR46, otherwise, the current Monster Yamaha rider (replaced by Alex Rins for 2024) would also be in the mix to ride alongside Alex Marquez at Gresini.

The Ducati seats are expected to be settled in the next few weeks, which also fits in with KTM’s long-rumoured timeline of announcing more on its rider line-up during the factory’s home Austrian Grand Prix on August 18-20.

Dixon’s manager Frankie Carchedi confirmed to Crash.net that if there is a MotoGP space available for the Englishman, it’s likely to become clear over the next two weeks. He also admitted the situation is difficult for Dixon and Arbolino.

The Gresini team told Crash.net they might have a spot available for Dixon, adding 'the scenario is changing every day and we are still in the process of making our decision'.

Meanwhile, the current lack of MotoGP seats would be eased if KTM, which currently has five riders (with the arrival of Acosta) but only four bikes, succeeds in its ongoing pursuit of the ex-Suzuki grid places.

"Our favourite [idea] would be to get two more MotoGP places through Aki Ajo," KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer told Speedweek.com at the end of the British MotoGP weekend.

Should that happen, Dixon (who already races in the colours of KTM’s sister brand GASGAS) could also become a contender for the other Ajo seat.

Acosta now leads the Moto2 standings by two points from Arbolino with Dixon a further 50 points back in third after clashing with Darryn Binder in the Silverstone race.

Dixon, title runner-up in BSB before joining Moto2 in 2019, made two MotoGP starts as a stand-in at Petronas Yamaha in 2021.