Jake Dixon to attend Portuguese WorldSBK after “positive” injury check

Jake Dixon will be in Portimao this weekend for the Portuguese WorldSBK round following a “positive” check-up on his wrist injury last week.

Dixon will not ride in Portimao as he continues to recover from the wrist fractures that kept him out of the Australian Round in February and the two-day Portimao test on 9–10 March.

He will be replaced by Jonathan Rea, who counted himself as “optimistic” about the HRC project ahead of his first race aboard the CBR1000RR-R, but Dixon will be in Portimao anyway.

His attendance there comes after what he has described as “positive” news on his injury.

“I travelled to Manchester on 17 March for a follow-up medical check and the news is positive,” said Jake Dixon.

“My wrist is now out of the backslab and in a splint, though I still have the wires in place, which will be removed in a couple of weeks.”

The British rookie added his aim is to learn more about the pattern and flow of a World Superbike weekend in Portugal, and to observe six-time champion Rea and the way he works inside the garage.

“I will be in Portugal this week to support the team. Having Johnny [Jonathan Rea] stepping in while I’m injured is a great thing for us. 

“He’s a multiple world champion, so I want to take the opportunity to learn as much as possible from him – how he works, how he communicates with the team, his feedback. 

“Even if I can’t ride right now, I want to stay involved, help the team and keep morale high. It will also be a good chance for me to better understand how a WorldSBK race weekend works.

“I’ll be there supporting the boys and hopefully cheering them on to a strong result.”

Dixon’s full-time WorldSBK teammate, Somkiat Chantra, will also race for the first time this year at Portimao after he missed Australia through arm fractures sustained at Sepang in January.