BSB: Dixon back at the sharp end

When Jake Dixon stormed to a surprise debut double victory at Knockhill back in June, his MCE British Superbike Championship prowess was unknown.

Having not even finished on the podium before, it wasn’t clear whether Dixon’s run was just a flash in the pan at a quirky circuit or if he’d become a full-time BSB frontrunner.

After a somewhat average Snetterton and Brands Hatch for the 21-year-old, it had started to look like he wasn’t quite ready to make the next step but fighting against the odds at a track said not to suit the Kawasaki, he returned to the podium at Thruxton this weekend. 

His pace was impressive from the off as he topped the opening day’s practice before going on to take his debut BSB pole with a stunning superpole lap on Saturday. 

While Kawasaki’s main man Leon Haslam was unable to get the softer rear Pirelli tyre to work over race distance, Dixon surprisingly could and went on to fight for the lead in both of the day’s races before going on to finish third and second. 

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“It’s good to be back at the front this weekend,” Dixon told MCN. “Snetterton was OK but Brands was a bit tough so to come here and do this at a track where the Kawasaki hasn’t worked well with the SC0 in the past is good.” 

Dixon’s results see him close in on an all-important showdown as he moves to seventh in the series standings, just 18 points behind Jason O’Halloran and Josh Brookes in the final showdown places.

“It’s all about the Showdown for us now, we’ll have to put together a big push over the next couple of rounds and hopefully we can get one of those last places, but it’s BSB so it won’t be easy!” 

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