MotoGP Motegi: Dixon ‘hoping for dry race’ from front row start

A sodden Motegi saw Inde GasGas Aspar’s Jake Dixon score his second Moto2 front row start in a row on Saturday.

Initially celebrating second, Dixon will ultimately line up third for Sunday’s 22-lap Japanese Grand Prix after Speed Up’s Fermin Aldeguer had his P2 lap cancelled then reinstated after the flag.

Torrential rain brought out the red flags during the intermediate class qualifying with a 90-minute delay before action could resume. The Brit’s 2’05.669 best, set on his penultimate lap of eight, was seven tenths adrift of the Aron Canet’s pole effort but a quarter of a second clear of his nearest rival for the final spot on the front row and his sixth trip to Parc Fermé this season. “We had horrible weather conditions today,” Dixon said from Japan. “I feel bad for the fans who have been in the rain all day and I want to thank them for that.

“Overall I’m happy. Yesterday didn’t go so well, but after making some modifications to the bike we managed to make a step forward.

“Qualifying was not easy, riding in the wet is complicated and I almost crashed due to the large amount of water.

“It is very important to start tomorrow from the front row of the grid. Hopefully the race will be dry and we can get a good result.”