MotoGP Austin: Maiden podium ‘first of many’ for Dixon

An emotional Jake Dixon secured his first Moto2 World Championship podium on Sunday after meeting the AmericasGP flag in third.

Strong throughout the weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, Dixon lined up sixth on the grid for Sunday’s 18-lap race. But with conditions cooler than expected and facing strong winds, the battle became a crashfest as only 17 of the 29 intermediate class starters made it to the finish line.

Managing to avoid the chaos in the opening lap and maintaining his rhythm despite multiple issues both on track and with his GasGas Aspar machine, Dixon was quickly in the hunt for the leading group. The 25-year-old battled for podium contention from lap three before progressing, alongside eventual winner Tony Arbolino, to sit second at mid race distance.

Despite a late-race demotion by Ai Ogura to third, the Brit held fast to claim the first podium of his Grand Prix career and the first in Moto2 for his Aspar squad. But with the confidence on display in Austin, Dixon is certain it won’t be his last as the paddock packs up and returns to Europe.

“I know it’s third position but I’ve worked so hard for this!” Dixon admitted from Parc Fermé. “All the hours, all the tough races. It has been a tough, tough, three years and finally, I’m able to show my potential.

“Honestly, difficult race for me because so many emotions halfway through the race were going through my head as I see people crashing,” he continued.“The wind was so bad and it was just, for me, a matter of staying on the bike.

“I stayed with Tony for as long as I could and then I hit like two or three false neutrals and I lost the tow to him and then Ogura come past. Then I made a few really bad laps and lost the tow to him. Then started to get back in