Another member of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock will fly to Qatar to ride as a replacement in MotoGP. Honda HRC’s Jake Dixon is packing his bags to ride under the lights at Lusail International Circuit as MotoGP Honda HRC rider Joan Mir will miss the round as he continues to suffer from fatigue and other symptoms.
WorldSBK’s #96 will return to the paddock he left at the end of last season after seven seasons in Moto2, including a 2021 season when he made his MotoGP debut at Silverstone. Dixon will look for his first points in the class this weekend at a circuit where he has prior experience. He’s ridden there four times, all in Moto2, with a best result of P5 in 2023.
On the opportunity, Dixon said: “First of all, I have to say thank you to Honda HRC for this opportunity. 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."
Look back through Dixon’s ever-improving 2026 rookie season OnDemand with the WorldSBK VideoPass!