Jake Dixon has been clocking up the miles with some World Superbike Championship testing in France last week.

With no racing for six weeks Dixon and his Honda team were in Magny-Cours at the Circuit de Nevers for two days of testing.

It is the first of two tests in August for the World Superbike riders and Dixon is aiming to take full advantage of that.

Neither Jake nor Somkiat have competed at Magny-Cours before, and so this test session was also useful in allowing the two riders to learn the layout and establish important reference points ahead of the ninth WorldSBK round, scheduled for 4–6 September at the same venue.

Despite very high temperatures (air 38°C, track 65°C), Dixon spent significant time on track on Thursday, working with his crew to establish a good base setup while progressively building his knowledge of the circuit and feeling with the bike. Completing 69 laps respectively on day one, Jake collated a large quantity of crucial data.

Work continued throughout Friday, with Dixon carrying out a series of tests focusing on suspension, electronics and setup comparisons as he worked through his testing programme.

The work will now continue back at base, with the engineers analysing the information and feedback collected during the test. Dixon and his Honda HRC team will be back on track in just eight days’ time (25–26 August) for a further two-day test at Estoril Circuit in Portugal.

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