Jake Dixon says he is at a loss to understand why competitiveness deserted him during the San Marino Moto2 at Misano after labouring to a distant 12th place finish.

Having rebounded back into the Moto2 title fight with his second win of the season in Spain a weekend earlier, Dixon ceded the advantage he’d clawed back with a lacklustre afternoon in Italy.

Admitting his GasGas Aspar Kalex didn’t feel the same after a crash on Saturday, the small handful of points for 12th were compounded by Moto2 leader Pedro Acosta securing a maximum haul with his dominant fifth win of the year.

“It has been a difficult race and I don’t understand what has happened. The bike didn’t really feel the same after the crash. 

“I gave everything I had. We just need to focus on the best job we can do now. It seems that championship is far away, so I don’t want to think about it. 

“It wasn’t good enough but we’ll work hard to be better.”