Jake Dixon’s strong run of form in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship continued at Brands Hatch on Sunday with the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki rider claiming two fourth place finishes in the two races to maintain his second place overall in the title standings.
The weekend started well immediately and having set the second fastest time overall during the three free practice sessions, Jake took that good form into qualifying on Saturday afternoon and a time of 1m24.768s meant he went into Sunday’s opening 20-lap race in third place and on the front row of the grid.
Second place in morning warm-up further cemented Jake’s position as a race favourite but a sluggish start saw him back in sixth place at the end of the first lap and a lap later this had become seventh as Luke Mossey overhauled him.
On lap eight, Jake moved back ahead of his Kawasaki rival and although he left it late, he took over fifth place on the penultimate lap with a good overtaking manoeuvre on Christian Iddon. Good fortune then came his way shortly afterwards when third placed Tarran Mackenzie crashed which promoted him up the order to fourth and this was where he finished to add 13 more points to his Championship total.
The second race later in the afternoon saw him again complete the first lap in sixth place but by lap six he was up into fourth and closing in on the leading trio of Josh Brookes, Glenn Irwin and Leon Haslam. However, grip issues with the front tyre meant his pace ebbed and flowed during the second half of the race and he had to settle for fourth place and although it meant his run of six successive podiums came to an end, he still sits in second place overall at the half way stage of the season.
Jake Dixon: “We worked really hard during practice to get a good bike for the races and although it was hard work to get a front row position during qualifying, I managed it and with good race pace, I felt in a good place going into race day. However, the warmer temperatures didn’t help us at all and the front tyre kept overheating which meant I lost time to the three riders in front of me at various stages of the race. I’d close up to them only to drop back a few laps later.”
“On the positive side of things, we’re in a lot better position compared to where we were 12 months ago here and I only lost two points to Leon (Haslam) in terms of podium credits. The next round at Thruxton is a circuit that should suit us and having gone well there last year, I’m confident we can do the same again this time around.”
Lee Hardy, Team Owner: “We worked really on the race set up during practice and although we inherited a bit of chatter during qualifying – perhaps due to having a lighter fuel load – which affected Jake’s out and out pace, he did what he needed to do to put the bike on the front row so we were in a good position for the first race. We were confident that Jake could run at the front and challenge for the wins so we’re a bit disappointed to come away with two fourth places.”
“His pace at the beginning of each race was good but by the time he got to the front three, the front tyre had overheated and he had to back off which was why you saw him drop back in each race. Jake had to wait for the tyre to cool down and the feel to come back to him before he could push again but the results are the best we’ve ever taken here in the Superbike class so we can’t be too downbeat. As well as Leon, it’s clear Glenn and Josh are both now in the mix so we’ll be looking to get back on the box at Thruxton.”
Round seven of the Championship takes place at Thruxton, Hampshire on August 3-5.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one (20 laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
3 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
4 Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki)
5 Christian Iddon (BMW)
6 Peter Hickman (BMW)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (20 laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
3 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
4 Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki)
5 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)
6 Christian Iddon (BMW)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Points (after six rounds)
1 Haslam 242pts
2 Dixon 162
3 Irwin 145
4 Brookes 130
5 Ray 115
6 Buchan 111