MotoGP: Dixon tried to take the Honda seat from Crutchlow – the backstory

The HRC WorldSBK rider revealed he tried to return to race a Grand Prix in the top class, but he didn’t succeed.

The first year in the Superbike World Championship is not going well for Jake Dixon, plagued by the injury suffered on the last day of pre-season testing at Phillip Island. The fractures to his left wrist and left hand made him miss the first five rounds of the 2026 calendar. He returned to action at Aragon, where he made his official debut in the category. Unfortunately, his weekend ended after the warm-up, as he was declared “unfit” due to the worsening condition of his wrist.

To try to fully recover, it was decided not to have him race the Misano round, then return to the track at Donington Park, where he struggled a lot. WorldSBK will resume at Magny-Cours on the weekend of September 4–6, so he has time to improve his condition and put together a stronger end to the season. The HRC team has also scheduled tests during this break, one of which will be at Magny-Cours. The British rider will have the chance to adapt to the circuit and also to the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, a bike he hasn’t been able to ride enough yet.

This weekend MotoGP tackles the much-anticipated British Grand Prix at Silverstone, a special place for Dixon, where in 2017 he made his debut in Moto2 and also in World Superbike, then in 2020 he made his MotoGP debut as a replacement for the injured Franco Morbidelli on the Petronas SRT Yamaha M1. In 2024 came his first home GP victory as a Moto2 rider, of course.

Interviewed by Paddock Pass Podcast, the 30-year-old British rider revealed a behind-the-scenes detail: "I tried to come back to MotoGP on a Honda for this weekend. I pushed to be on an LCR bike, but it didn’t work out."

Dixon admitted he had put himself forward to replace the injured Johann Zarco in the LCR Honda team, but it will be Cal Crutchlow who continues to stand in for the Frenchman, as has already happened in the past five Grands Prix. It’s understandable that Lucio Cecchinello’s squad and HRC want to continue with a more experienced rider who can provide more useful feedback on developing the RC213V. Moreover, Jake has had a complicated year, he’s not at 100%, and putting him on a MotoGP prototype wouldn’t have been a particularly wise choice at this moment.