That said, here is a proper shake-up for the grid. Honda HRC Castrol have officially confirmed that WorldSBK star Jake Dixon will jump into the premier class to replace Joan Mir at this weekend's Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar.
Mir returned to action last weekend in Sepang, but was ultimately forced to withdraw from the Grand Prix in Malaysia and will continue his recovery at home. In steps the experienced Dixon, a rider who spent seven years in the Grand Prix paddock from 2019 to 2025, racking up seven wins and 22 podiums in Moto2. Back in 2021, the British rider also made two MotoGP starts, pulling off a best finish of 19th at his home round at Silverstone.
First of all I have to say thank you to Honda HRC for this opportunity,
The current 2026 WorldSBK campaign has been a tricky, injury-hit affair for the #96, but a return to fitness in the latter half of the season saw him battle to five top-10 finishes aboard the CBR1000RR-R SP machine.
"First of all I have to say thank you to Honda HRC for this opportunity," Dixon said. "Getting the call to come ride one of these bikes is always mega and I am looking forward to it, I think every rider dreams of racing for the Honda factory team in MotoGP when they're a kid. It's been a little bit since I last raced a MotoGP bike, so we need to take the weekend steady and go step by step. I want to wish Joan all the best and I hope to see him back on the bike soon. It hasn't been a straightforward year for me either, so I sympathise a lot with him. Let's make the most of this weekend."
Now, it is time for the #96 to dive back into the MotoGP paddock and see what he can do under the lights. Wishing Mir all the very best as he focuses entirely on getting back to full health.
MotoGP
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