Jake Dixon got his first taste of the Magny-Cours circuit at a recent WorldSBK test with Honda.

Dixon and team-mate Somkiat Chantra both rode at Magny-Cours last week in temperatures of up to 37C, with track temperatures up at 65C at times, according to Honda.

For WorldSBK rookie Dixon, the test offered a chance to get acquainted with the track that will host the next round of the 2026 season on 7–9 September, and the British rider completed 139 laps over two days.

Dixon found the track good to ride, if difficult to learn, and was able to work on some setup options.

“I like the Magny-Cours track,” said Dixon after the test.

“It’s a little difficult to learn, but it’s a nice one; the main thing over these two days was the heat – it was really hot out there. We tried quite a few things, basically working to find a good base setup for me.  

“At the end of the day, it’s a test – there are no prizes to be won – so we just focused on working our way through the test plan the team had prepared and gathering as much information as possible. 

“We’ve been busy, but I ended the test happy. Now we have another two days at Estoril, where again I’ll need to learn the track while continuing to work on the bike setup. The goal is to keep working, build step-by-step.”

Dixon’s team-mate Chantra completed even more laps, 197 over the two days, and was also able to try some new electronics and suspension settings.

“This was my first time riding at Magny-Cours, so I was able to spend a lot of time learning the track while also working on the bike,” Chantra said.

“We tried many different things with the setup, including electronics and suspension, over the two days and were able to collect a lot of useful information. 

“This is important because during a race weekend we don’t have so much time to test different solutions, while here we could really focus on this kind of work. 

“Overall, I’m happy with how the test went. I was able to improve my lap time session by session as I learned the circuit, and on the first day I set my fastest time in the afternoon heat, which was very positive.”