Three crashes in first WorldSBK test for Jake Dixon: “A massive learning curve”

This week’s two-day Jerez WorldSBK test was Jake Dixon’s first chance to try the Honda CBR1000RR-R SP he will race in 2026, but he crashed three times.

Both Dixon and his new teammate Somkiat Chantra were able to debut with the Honda HRC team in Jerez on 26–27 November, ending the second day split by 0.4 seconds on the time sheets, Dixon 12th and Chantra 10th with HRC test rider Tetsuta Nagashima between them.

The test was the start of a “massive learning curve” for the British rider, who is back racing a Superbike next year for the first time since the 2018 BSB season.

“Honestly, it’s so nice to be back on a big bike again, having that power is really nice,” Jake Dixon told WorldSBK.com.

“But a massive learning curve, honestly. For me, unfortunately, I had a couple of crashes trying to understand everything, learn exactly how things are, and that just the way things happen sometimes. 

“Just couldn’t be more happy with how the team are, the team are fantastic. I’ve never been in such a professional team, and there’s more people in the team than I’ve ever known to have around me before, so that’s really nice. 

“Just a massive learning curve and going to have to take my time with it.”

Explaining the crashes, Dixon added: “[Wednesday] was a really silly one; I was actually out-braking myself, I felt normal to me but it was just too over the limit in the braking. 

“Then [Thursday] was literally I didn’t feel so good with the front and I crashed in turn two – it was literally nothing. 

“Then the last one was coming out of turn four and in the last part I wheelied far too much and I was going off the track, and I couldn’t close the gas in time and I went into the gravel, and I literally couldn’t slow down enough and the barrier was coming so I put the bike down.

“I’m a little bit stiff from that one, I could’ve done without that, to be fair! Not an ideal situation, but that’s racing. I’m learning every minute. 

“This big girl, she bites if you don’t respect her.

“It’s been a great two days, honestly, I’ve done a lot of laps, a lot of long runs, and we worked a lot on the hardest tyre. At the end, unfortunately because of my crash I never got to put a qualifying tyre in, so we stuck with the hard tyre and that’s all she wrote today.”

Dixon pointed out the electronics as one of the biggest things to adapt to from Moto2 where he’s raced since 2019.

“Crazy different,” he said, comparing the World Superbike Honda to the Moto2 bike.

“Honestly, to be able to change what you’re able to change on the electronics is a big difference because Moto2 is a bit basic in terms of the electronics package. 

“I have to do a lot more adapting. In actual terms of a rhythm, I’m not too bad, but to extract that one lap I need to do a lot more learning. 

“Steady away– well, I’d like to say ‘steady away’ but I crashed three times, so it’s not really steady away!

“Anyway, it is what it is, and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey and progressing as a World Superbike rider.”