Jake Dixon’s French WorldSBK was little better on paper than the rounds that came before the summer break, but he says progress has been made by himself and Honda.

WorldSBK rookie Dixon was able to qualify a season-best 10th on Saturday morning, but his races fell apart through mistakes, especially on Sunday when he went wide at turn 15 in the Superpole Race and crashed out at turn 13 in Race 2.

On both occasions, top-10s were possible, Dixon thinks.

“This weekend has definitely seen us make a step,” he said. “Of course, it’s unfortunate to make two mistakes today, and I apologise to the team for that.

“The Superpole Race was really annoying because seventh position was on the cards, and probably the same again in Race 2. 

“I was biding my time. I got put out wide when Bautista passed me, so I lost a few positions, but I regrouped, gained back some positions and had just caught back onto the group.

“Unfortunately, going into turn 13, I slid a bit too much and, as it gripped, it pushed back onto the front and I had no chance to save it. It’s one of those things, but my mentality is that I will always push to the limit while we try to make the next step. 

“I think our positioning this weekend has been between seventh and tenth. We came eleventh in Race 1 and 14th in the Superpole Race, but that result wasn’t a true reflection of where we are. 

“We’ve definitely been in the top-10 all weekend. Step-by-step we’re making good progress. We need to make a lot more progress, but we’re getting closer, so let’s see what we can do next time.”