Promising pace in practice goes unrewarded for Honda HRC in Donington Race 1
Donington Park CircuitHome rider Dixon and teammate Chantra tackle a challenging Race 1 as the UK WorldSBK round continues at Donington Park
Despite some encouraging signs throughout practice and a significant step forward in Saturday morning's FP3 session, Honda HRC was unable to translate that pace into the desired results in the opening WorldSBK race at Donington Park. Jake Dixon crossed the line eighteenth, while teammate Somkiat Chantra finished twentieth.
After laying solid foundations in Friday’s practices, Dixon was able to take a good step forward in FP3, improving on his previous best by a full second to move up to seventh in the combined standings (1’25.645). On the other side of the garage, Chantra also made progress, working well with his technicians and setting a best of 1’26.423 to finish P20.
A little over an hour later, the factory riders were back out for Superpole. The short session saw the cancellation of several fast lap times set under yellow flag conditions, which impacted a number of riders. Chantra's quickest valid lap of 1'25.747 and Dixon's best of 1'25.817 placed the pair on the sixth row of the grid for the opening race.
As the lights went out on Race 1, Dixon and Chantra lost a little ground in traffic through the opening turns. Running eighteenth and twentieth respectively at the end of lap one, the factory duo each gained one position during the early stages of the race. With the gaps ahead soon opening up, opportunities to make further progress proved limited, but both riders remained focused on maintaining a consistent rhythm and bringing the race to its conclusion. With Dixon just able to edge ahead of teammate Somkiat, who ran wide on the final lap, the pair crossed the line eighteenth and twentieth respectively.
The squad will now analyse the data gathered on Saturday evening and work to identify improvements that can help both riders extract more from Sunday's Superpole Race and second full-length race.
Competing as a wildcard entry with the Honda HRC test team, Jonathan Rea delivered an encouraging performance in Superpole to secure tenth place on the grid but retired from Race 1 in the closing stages
"Clearly it was a difficult race. We actually had a really positive morning in FP3 and it was good to place inside the top ten. But the race then highlighted the struggles we're having, particularly with corner exits, and more generally with the rear of the bike. We still have a lot to improve. We made a good step with the front this weekend, but the rear still needs work. After the race I told the team that we should try something for tomorrow because right now we don't really have anything to lose. This is my first race back in good physical condition and it's important we stay positive, even if it's tough for everyone involved right now. We need to keep our heads up and keep pushing."
"Clearly it was a difficult race. We actually had a really positive morning in FP3 and it was good to place inside the top ten. But the race then highlighted the struggles we're having, particularly with corner exits, and more generally with the rear of the bike. We still have a lot to improve. We made a good step with the front this weekend, but the rear still needs work. After the race I told the team that we should try something for tomorrow because right now we don't really have anything to lose. This is my first race back in good physical condition and it's important we stay positive, even if it's tough for everyone involved right now. We need to keep our heads up and keep pushing."
"The first race here in Doningon is done and it was a difficult one for me. Compared to the Superpole, the feeling with the bike was quite different and I struggled more with grip during the race. I tried to push and do my best, but it was difficult to find the confidence I needed. We will look at everything with the team this evening and try again tomorrow."
"The first race here in Doningon is done and it was a difficult one for me. Compared to the Superpole, the feeling with the bike was quite different and I struggled more with grip during the race. I tried to push and do my best, but it was difficult to find the confidence I needed. We will look at everything with the team this evening and try again tomorrow."
