Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) will take part in his first MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship weekend at MotorLand Aragon after receiving the green light to take part in the Aragon Round. The British rookie was injured in a testing crash at Phillip Island and Round 6 of the season will be where he makes his debut. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) has also been given the green light to ride at Aragon on Friday, and, like Dixon, will be reassessed after Friday morning’s practice session.
DIXON SET FOR DEBUT WEEKEND
Dixon moved to WorldSBK from Moto2 for the 2026 season, but he crashed in testing at Phillip Island and was diagnosed with fractures to his left wrist. The #96 subsequently underwent surgery on the injury in Melbourne before returning home to Andorra, where his recovery has been progressing. He initially targeted a Balaton Park return but that was pushed back, eventually jumping back on the CBR1000RR-R SP machine at a recent Misano test. He has been given the go ahead to compete at Aragon, but he will be reassessed after Free Practice 1.
Speaking after his medical check, Dixon said: “I’m really happy to be back with the team and to finally start my season; this feels like round one for me. I’ve been declared fit, with a further check after FP1, and I appreciate the fact that everything is being handled so carefully by the medical staff and team. Health comes first, so we will take things step by step. For now, I still see this almost like part of the testing phase, because I don’t yet know how many laps, I’ll be able to make or exactly where we stand. It will be my first full dry weekend on the bike and my first race weekend with the team, so there are no expectations. We’ll build up gradually and see how things go. As for the track, I won here in 2024, so I have good memories of Aragón. We’ll try to make the most of the weekend.”
BAUTISTA BACK IN ACTION
Elsewhere, Bautista is in the same situation as Dixon in terms of his Aragon participation. The #19 crashed in Free Practice 3 at the Autodrom Most, suffering from fractures to his midfoot, malleolus and calcaneus bones on his right foot/ankle. The two-time WorldSBK Champion underwent successful surgery on the Monday following the Czech Round, with the aim of returning at Aragon for his home round. He has been cleared to ride in FP1, but will be reassessed following the session.
Bautista stated: “After the injury in Most, I worked really hard at home to recover in the best possible way and as quickly as possible. Honestly, after the surgery we still didn’t have a clear picture of the situation, but over the past few days I’ve seen a lot of progress in my recovery and, in the end, I feel physically good enough to give it a try. The doctors gave me the t to at least ride in FP1. After the session, we’ll evaluate my feelings and understand whether I’ll be able to keep riding and continue the weekend or not. In the meantime, it’s important to get back on track at Aragón, a circuit where I achieved good results in the past. This year, however, it will be different, the priority will first of all be to stay safe. If I’m able to ride, I’ll continue, otherwise I’ll stop, because health comes first. We’ll mainly focus on getting the feeling back rather than immediately chasing performance. We’ll see after FP1 what my sensations are like and what kind of work we’ll be able to do.”
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