Official: Jake Dixon gets "dream" Honda MotoGP chance in Qatar
Jake Dixon handed factory Honda MotoGP return five years after Yamaha debut.
Honda has officially confirmed that Jake Dixon will return to the Grand Prix paddock as Joan Mir's replacement at the factory HRC team in this weekend's Qatar MotoGP.
The Englishman, who now races for HRC's WorldSBK project, is the latest in a long line of Honda stand-in riders this season alongside Cal Crutchlow, Takaaki Nakagami, Aleix Espargaro and his own team-mate Somkiat Chantra.
Dixon made two MotoGP starts for Petronas Yamaha SRT during his Moto2 career in 2021. But he will now seek his first premier-class points on factory RC213V machinery alongside Luca Marini at Lusail.
Mir made return from fatigue-based vision issues last weekend at Sepang, but was forced to return halfway through the Grand Prix when dizziness returned.
"Dream" come true for Jake Dixon
"First of all, I have to say thank you to Honda HRC for this opportunity,” Dixon said.
“Getting the call to come ride one of these bikes is always mega and I am looking forward to it, I think every rider dreams of racing for the Honda factory team in MotoGP when they're a kid.
"It's been a little bit since I last raced a MotoGP bike, so we need to take the weekend steady and go step by step.
“I want to wish Joan all the best and I hope to see him back on the bike soon. It hasn't been a straightforward year for me either, so I sympathise a lot with him.
"Let's make the most of this weekend."
Dixon, a seven-time Moto2 race winner between 2019 and 2025, missed a large part of his rookie WorldSBK season due to injury before claiming a best finish of sixth.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
