Jake Dixon has his first chance to get acquainted with the Honda CBR1000RR-R SP WorldSBK bike during a two-day test in Jerez, which saw him crash three times. 

Dixon, who ended a six-year Moto2 career to join Honda’s WorldSBK project as a factory rider for 2026, ended the test on 26–27 November 12th-fastest as he sought to begin his adaptation back to Superbike machinery, which he last raced in BSB in 2018.

“Honestly, it’s so nice to be back on a big bike again, having that power is really nice,” Dixon told WorldSBK.com.

“But a massive learning curve, honestly. For me, unfortunately, I had a couple of crashes trying to understand everything, learn exactly how things are, and that just the way things happen sometimes. 

“Just couldn’t be more happy with how the team are, the team are fantastic. I’ve never been in such a professional team, and there’s more people in the team than I’ve ever known to have around me before, so that’s really nice. 

“Just a massive learning curve and going to have to take my time with it.”

Dixon explained that his crashes were about a lack of experience on the bike and not yet understanding it completely, which is to be expected at this early stage of his adaptation from Moto2.

“[Wednesday] was a really silly one; I was actually out-braking myself, I felt normal to me but it was just too over the limit in the braking. 

“Then [Thursday] was literally I didn’t feel so good with the front and I crashed in turn two – it was literally nothing. 

“Then the last one was coming out of turn four and in the last part I wheelied far too much and I was going off the track, and I couldn’t close the gas in time and I went into the gravel, and I literally couldn’t slow down enough and the barrier was coming so I put the bike down.

“I’m a little bit stiff from that one, I could’ve done without that, to be fair! Not an ideal situation, but that’s racing. I’m learning every minute. 

“This big girl, she bites if you don’t respect her.

“It’s been a great two days, honestly, I’ve done a lot of laps, a lot of long runs, and we worked a lot on the hardest tyre. At the end, unfortunately because of my crash I never got to put a qualifying tyre in, so we stuck with the hard tyre and that’s all she wrote today.”

Dixon pointed out the electronics as one of the biggest things to adapt to from Moto2 where he’s raced since 2019.

“Crazy different,” he said, comparing the World Superbike Honda to the Moto2 bike.

“Honestly, to be able to change what you’re able to change on the electronics is a big difference because Moto2 is a bit basic in terms of the electronics package. 

“I have to do a lot more adapting. In actual terms of a rhythm, I’m not too bad, but to extract that one lap I need to do a lot more learning. 

“Steady away– well, I’d like to say ‘steady away’ but I crashed three times, so it’s not really steady away!

“Anyway, it is what it is, and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey and progressing as a World Superbike rider.”