Jake Dixon had a solid debut race in the World Superbike Championship this afternoon, just missing out on the points.

Having been declared fit to race this weekend, he was assessed after a crash in FP1 and that meant that Dixon was able to take to the track for the first time in anger for the Honda World Superbike Championship.

Race one ran in hot, dry conditions in the early afternoon. Focused on the task ahead when the lights went out, Dixon was running seventeenth through the opening corners.

The Dover born rider approached the 18-lap contest with a clear objective: to complete the race distance while continuing his physical recovery. Demonstrating a consistent pace throughout much of the race, the British rider managed his condition intelligently before increasing pain in his recovering wrist began to take its toll in the closing stages.

Remaining focused, Dixon crossed the line in sixteenth position, gaining valuable race mileage and confidence ahead of tomorrow.

Speaking after his first race of the season, Dixon said: “Overall, I have to be happy. Obviously it’s not where I want to be finishing, but considering where I was even a couple of weeks ago, when I wasn’t sure I’d be able to race at all, it’s acceptable for now.

“We were in a decent little group for most of the race, fighting around eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth positions, so there are definitely some positives to take away. We’re almost using this weekend as another test because we’re still trying to understand the bike a little better. We’ve had very little track time compared to everyone else and we’re still trying to catch up, including in terms of setup, so I felt pretty rusty, I’m not going to lie. But I was pleased with my Superpole lap and I think there were some encouraging signs.

“Of course, completing the race distance today is also a positive step. Physically, it was tough. At the start of the race I was riding well within myself because I didn’t know how my wrist would hold up over the full distance.

“I spent the first part of the race just focusing on hitting my marks and managing the situation, and I’m glad I did because the pain gradually increased as the race went on. Now let’s see how I feel tomorrow, but we’ll keep working, try to improve the bike and keep moving forward.”