Dixon secures top ten finish in Estoril Race 2, with more points for Chantra
Circuito EstorilHonda HRC concludes the penultimate WorldSBK round with an eighth and a tenth-place finish for Dixon and a strong recovery to thirteenth for Chantra.
Honda HRC rounded out the Estoril WorldSBK weekend with another double points finish, as Jake Dixon secured tenth place in Sunday's Race 2, following a strong eighth-place result in the morning's Superpole Race, while teammate Somkiat Chantra fought his way through the field to finish thirteenth.
Sunday began with a short warm-up session, held in cooler conditions than the previous day, with partly cloudy skies and a dry track. The Honda HRC riders then lined up for the ten-lap Superpole Race, Dixon starting seventh and Chantra seventeenth.
Dixon made a solid start and maintained a position within the leading group during the opening stages. Running eighth for much of the race, the British rider delivered a consistent performance aboard his CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADE SP, crossing the line in eighth place to secure two championship points and a third row starting position for Race 2.
Chantra faced a more challenging sprint race. After losing ground on the opening lap, the Thai rookie worked to recover positions but was unable to make significant progress over the short race distance, eventually taking the chequered flag in twentieth place.
The final race of the Estoril weekend got underway at 3.30pm local time, with the track dry despite a brief rain shower earlier in the afternoon. Dixon made a positive start from eighth on the grid, maintaining his position for the first two laps before losing several places and dropping to twelfth.
Rather than losing touch with the riders ahead, Dixon continued to push and remained within reach of the closely packed group in front of him. As the race progressed, he was able to take advantage of opportunities to recover ground and move back into the top ten. Despite coming under pressure from Thomas Bridewell in the closing stages, Dixon defended his position to the chequered flag, securing tenth place and six more championship points.
Starting seventeenth, Chantra also endured a difficult opening lap, dropping to twenty-first position. Undeterred, the Thai rider immediately began working his way forward, recovering several places during the opening stages and continuing to make progress throughout the 21-lap race.
Chantra maintained his determination through the final laps, reaching the points zone and battling all the way to the finish. He crossed the line in thirteenth place, just 0.033 seconds behind twelfth-placed Remy Gardner, securing three additional championship points and completing another double points finish for Honda HRC.
With the penultimate round of the 2026 WorldSBK season now complete, Honda HRC will travel directly to Jerez de la Frontera in Spain for next weekend's season finale
“Today’s Superpole Race was good enough, at least to keep the third row start later, but I knew Race 2 was going to be difficult. After an adequate start I lost a few places but was able to stick with the guys ahead for a while. With about eight laps to go, the front tyre was already finished, and I started losing ground to the group ahead. I think I lost around three and a half seconds over four or five laps, and towards the end I also made a big mistake at turn seven, almost running off track because I couldn't stop the bike properly. We are getting the maximum out of our current package, but we still have a lot of work to do. I don't want to be finishing in these positions, because that's not what I came here for. Hopefully, between now and Jerez, we can find some solutions and take another step forward.”
“Today’s Superpole Race was good enough, at least to keep the third row start later, but I knew Race 2 was going to be difficult. After an adequate start I lost a few places but was able to stick with the guys ahead for a while. With about eight laps to go, the front tyre was already finished, and I started losing ground to the group ahead. I think I lost around three and a half seconds over four or five laps, and towards the end I also made a big mistake at turn seven, almost running off track because I couldn't stop the bike properly. We are getting the maximum out of our current package, but we still have a lot of work to do. I don't want to be finishing in these positions, because that's not what I came here for. Hopefully, between now and Jerez, we can find some solutions and take another step forward.”
“Once again, I didn't make a very good start and dropped back to twenty-first on the opening lap. From there, I managed to recover and finish thirteenth, very close to twelfth place. I know there are still many things I need to improve, particularly my qualifying performance, my starts and the way I approach the first corner. If I can improve in these three areas, I believe I can have a chance to fight for much better positions. Looking at our lap times today, I think there are some positive signs. Overall, I'm happy with the weekend because we scored points in both main races, which is important for the team. Now we'll analyse all the data and continue working to improve. I know Jerez quite well, so I'm looking forward to going back there and seeing what we can achieve.”
“Once again, I didn't make a very good start and dropped back to twenty-first on the opening lap. From there, I managed to recover and finish thirteenth, very close to twelfth place. I know there are still many things I need to improve, particularly my qualifying performance, my starts and the way I approach the first corner. If I can improve in these three areas, I believe I can have a chance to fight for much better positions. Looking at our lap times today, I think there are some positive signs. Overall, I'm happy with the weekend because we scored points in both main races, which is important for the team. Now we'll analyse all the data and continue working to improve. I know Jerez quite well, so I'm looking forward to going back there and seeing what we can achieve.”
