MotoGP Qatar: Dixon ‘had the pace but first lap held me back’

Promising pace and qualifying performance were hindered in the opening Moto2 race of 2022 as Jake Dixon overcame a disastrous first lap to finish 11th at Qatar.

Two first lap incidents left Dixon off track and falling down the order as the 20-lap race began at Doha’s Lusail International Circuit with the Inde Aspar rider forced to fight back nine positions, finishing eleventh at the flag. The Brit had qualified seventh on the grid and went into the race confident in both his chances and his pace, but two separate incidents on the initial lap, in the first corner and second sector, dropped him to the fringes of the top 20. Dixon’s comeback looked strong but ultimately stalled just outside top 10 having lost time overtaking the pack, his chance to fight for the podium fading in the final third as he consolidated the point-scoring finish.

“Turn one and two was a disaster!” Dixon said from Doha. “Being that far back - outside the top 20 - on the first lap meant it was so hard to try and come back. I had to pass 10-11 riders and it took a long time.

“I think I lost ten seconds and if you take that away from the final race time then we would have been battling for the podium. So we had the pace but the first lap held me back. It’s a long season and this is just the start.”