Former BSB runner-up Jake Dixon gets Honda MotoGP chance in Qatar
Jake Dixon will make his first appearance in MotoGP as a Honda rider, replacing Joan Mir at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
Jake Dixon has been handed his first MotoGP appearance in five years at the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend.
The factory Honda WorldSBK rider replaces Joan Mir, who attempted to make his return from illness at the Malaysian Grand Prix last week.
Dixon previously made two MotoGP appearances with the Petronas Yamaha SRT squad in 2021, riding alongside nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi on both occasions.
Dixon’s return to MotoGP also marks his first appearance in the Grand Prix paddock since 2025, following his departure from Moto2 at the end of that season.
Meanwhile, Mir initially made his MotoGP return from fatigue-based vision issues last weekend at Sepang, but was forced to retire halfway through the Grand Prix when dizziness returned.
Dixon will slot in alongside Luca Marini, who is approaching the end of his time with HRC ahead of his move to the Tech3 KTM team in 2027.
Speaking about his ‘dream’ opportunity to represent HRC in MotoGP, 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 sympathize a lot with him. Let's make the most of this weekend.”
Dixon’s return to MotoGP comes at a difficult time for the championship, after it became clear in Malaysia that nearly the entire grid did not want to race in Qatar due to the ongoing conflict between the United States and Israel, against Iran.
But despite 19 of the 22 riders not being in favour of racing this weekend, MotoGP is continuing with its plans to run the event.
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
