Phillip Island Test 3: Jake Dixon suffers a heavy crash, Honda left without riders!

Plot twist in the third Superbike test session underway at Phillip Island (Australia): Jake Dixon was thrown off at turn eleven, one of the fastest on the track. Due to the injuries sustained, he will not be able to race in the opening round of the World Championship next weekend.

The British rider completed only one lap before crashing, which resulted in a fracture of his left wrist and a bruise to the elbow of the same arm. After checks at the circuit’s medical center, he was transported to a hospital in Melbourne for more in-depth examinations. The hit was very serious; turn eleven is the ultra-fast left that leads onto the start/finish straight. On the first day of testing Dixon was flying: ninth fastest, just 1.1 seconds off pacesetter Nicolò Bulega.

Jake Dixon, 30, comes from Moto2 and was supposed to make his World Superbike debut next weekend. At best, we’ll be talking about it again in a month at Portimão, the first European round of the championship. For Honda HRC it’s a very big problem, because with Dixon’s withdrawal they are left without any factory riders. The Thai Somkiat Chantra had already ruled himself out after crashing last month during training at the Sepang circuit, breaking both arms. At the moment, the official squad of the world’s largest manufacturer is on track only with test riders Tetsuta Nagashima, standing in for Chantra, and Ryan Vickers. It was supposed to be the year of redemption, but instead for Honda everything is starting off incredibly uphill.

It’s unlikely that Honda will find an alternative to Dixon in time for the weekend. One option could be Jonathan Rea, who, after announcing his retirement from racing, is helping Honda HRC with the complex development of the CBR-RR. The six-time world champion was on track last month, in the wet, at both Jerez and Portimão. But as for racing at Phillip Island, at least for now, it’s not on the table. It’s very likely that Rea judges this project still far from the front, so a one-off return would be low-profile. Moreover, last year, right during the early-week tests, Jonathan Rea crashed at very high speed at turn three, with the Yamaha landing heavily on his foot and shattering it. An accident that could have had far worse consequences. At 38, Rea has no desire to expose himself to similar risks.

Meanwhile, for Ducati these Australian tests are sailing with a fair wind. On a morning with perfect weather (28 °C air, 27 °C track) Nicolò Bulega dipped to 1'28"880, six tenths faster than the previous day’s benchmark. Excellent results as well for Yari Montella, second with the Barni Ducati, and Axel Bassani, who continues to lead operations in the garage of a Bimota in tremendous form, despite the top-speed gap. Very good signs also for Lorenzo Baldassarri, fifth quickest: the apprenticeship with Ducati Go Eleven is progressing as well as one could hope. Second Australian tip-over for Stefano Manzi, at turn two: the Yamaha GRT rider is OK.