Honda WorldSBK rider Jake Dixon says Somkiat Chantra deserves “two or three races” before anyone judges his performance after returning from injury.
Chantra made his debut at the recent round in Portimao after missing the season opener following a testing crash at Sepang at the end of 2025.
The Thai rider finished the round with only one point on the board, after finishing 18th in Race 1 before crashing in the Superpole Race.
Dixon himself has yet to participate in the series after suffering multiple fractures to his left wrist and hand during pre-season testing at Phillip Island.
Both riders are new to the series after winning in the intermediate grand prix class, something Dixon believes carries significant weight and why he has defended Chantra despite his difficult start to life in the production category.
“Chantra is obviously fresh like me. He’s come from MotoGP, many years riding Grand Prix bikes; it’s different,” said Dixon to the media, including Motorsport Week.
“Chantra needs time; he’s come back from a broken arm and a broken wrist, so he needs time as well to come back and come back up to speed.
“He’s had half a day [of riding] the other day, so it’s so unfair for anyone to sit there and judge anything about Chantra right now.
“You need to give him two or three races and some more tests to even judge him on how he’s going to do.
“Believe me, I’ve raced the guy, won Grand Prix, you’re no slouch if you’re winning Grand Prix, especially on Moto2 when everyone’s on the same machinery.
“The guy’s got a lot of talent; he just needs to have time.”
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