Dorna and broadcaster push for Brit to step up to the premier-class
Jake Dixon’s British Grand Prix ended on the first lap, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom in the Englishman’s camp at the close of play on Sunday as it emerged he is in the running for a shot at MotoGP next year.
AMCN understands Dixon is being considered for the second seat in the Gresini Ducati squad for 2024 alongside Alex Marquez, with his recent form and Dorna’s desire to have a Brit in the premier class among the factors behind the potential step up.A deadline for a decision on whether he will stay in Moto2 in 2024 was fixed for the Silverstone weekend. And a figure close to the Dixon camp revealed to AMCN that was passed in order to see how next year’s MotoGP grid takes shape in the coming weeks. Several sources in the paddock indicated the 27-year-old is now the leading candidate for the Gresini seat.
Bosses of Discovery-WBD, which now owns British broadcaster TNT, were present at Silverstone and are known to be pushing hard for Dixon to get a seat on next year’s MotoGP grid. They believe the presence of a British rider in the premier class would attract a much bigger audience to their coverage and forcibly made that point when they met with senior Dorna figures on Sunday, when they described how they could provide maximum exposure for Jake’s season, should he step up.
The same could be said of the Silverstone Circuit, which attracted a respectable Sunday attendance of 48,564 – but a number considerably down on pre-pandemic figures (73,000 in 2015, 73,310 in 2016) when fan favourites Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow were competing toward the front.
Neil Morrison
Running his mouth
An emotional Jake Dixon did himself zero favours when he made his feelings known about fellow Moto2 rider Darryn Binder, who made contact with the Brit and forced him out of the Moto2 Grand Prix in Silverstone.
“He clearly sees that I’m past him – use your brain – I’m faster than you!” he told TNT Sports reporter on the British live feed. “Don’t ram me. You’ve ruined my championship, you ruin everyone’s championship, you’re an absolute idiot.
“I know I made a mistake yesterday,” he said of his 15th-place qualifying position, “But he’s just an absolute clown. I’m sick to death of it. [He got] one long-lap [penalty] – ban him. Ban him! Because it’s stupid, he does it to everyone.”
Kel Buckley