MotoGP Mandalika: ‘Hard work pays off’ for Dixon - ‘my biggest threat’s me’

Aspar’s Jake Dixon secured his first Grand Prix pole position on Saturday after setting a 1’35.799 lap around the all-new Mandalika Circuit.

The rising Moto2 star has certainly found his mojo with the Inde GasGas outfit with a strong performance across the 2022 opening weekend before a lap one incident curtailed his potential.

Sunday’s second chance sees him joined on the front row by fellow British rider Sam Lowes, in third, with Dixon both praising the Marc VDS man and welcoming a boost to the local competition.

“It’s a massive step,” Dixon explained from Lombok’s Parc Fermé. “I feel like everyone always writes me off and it’s always ‘the Brits are not good’. Obviously, Sam’s been here for a long time and he’s super fast. He’s super, super fast and talented but it’s so nice to finally have another Brit that’s doing it as well.

“It feels so good!” he continued on Saturday’s achievement. “Honestly it’s been a long time coming. Obviously last year was such a difficult year for me but now I’m in such a great team, with the Aspar GasGas team, so it’s super nice to finally show the full potential of what I’m able to do.

“This year we’ve been fast from the off, from the first test all the way through. From the minute I jumped on the bike in November, I felt completely different. It’s so nice.

“Qatar was a bit of a shame because I got boxed out on the first corner and I probably could have been a little bit more aggressive but overall the pace was good in the race. We made a good recovery, but here’s a new track for everyone. It’s the first time everyone’s been to the track, so is a level playing field and I feel really good. From FP1 I felt like I knew the track already, I have a good flow and I’m feeling it.

“I just want to