Honda HRC completes Phillip Island testing with Nagashima after Dixon sustains injury early on day 2.
The second day of the two-day test at the Australian track did not conclude positively for Honda HRC. Jake Dixon sustained wrist fractures in a crash on Tuesday, ruling him out of WorldSBK Round 1, leaving Tetsuta Nagashima to complete the test for the factory squad and Ryan Vickers for the Honda HRC test team.
The 2026 Superbike World Championship is set to begin this coming weekend at Australia’s Phillip Island Circuit, but Honda HRC is unfortunately facing more than its fair share of obstacles in the run up to this important event.
The factory team was looking forward to a productive test on Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 February. Day one brought positive results, with Dixon completing 61 laps and Nagashima 73, and both riders improving on their performance throughout the day. Maximising the dry track time and warm, sunny conditions, rookie Dixon worked to adapt his CBR1000RR-R to both this spectacular circuit and his own riding style, while sharing the garage with Nagashima.
Tuesday unfortunately looked very different, with Dixon suffering a major setback. Just few minutes into the session, Jake crashed at Turn 11. Immediately taken to the circuit medical centre, the rider was diagnosed with left wrist fractures and elbow contusions. He is undergoing further medical assessments at hospital in Melbourne, but it is already clear that he will not be able to compete in this weekend’s opening round.
Nagashima continued the work program alone on Tuesday, making another 64 laps of the track and collating a lot of precious data in the process, in preparation for the opening round of the season taking place on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd February.
Race Weekend schedule (CET+10):
Friday
11.20 – 12.05 – SBK Timed Practice 1
16.00 – 16.45 – SBK Timed Practice 2
Saturday
10.00 – 10.20 – SBK Free Practice 3
13.00 – 13.15 – Superpole
16.00 – SBK Race 1
Sunday
10.30 – 10.40 – SBK Warm-up
13.00 – SBK Superpole race
16.00 – SBK Race 2
Tetsuta Nagashima 45
“Overall, the test was quite positive. We tried a lot of different settings, and I was able to understand things step by step. Session by session I felt better, and improving gradually like this is important. I can clearly see areas where we still need to improve in terms of overall set-up, including on the electronics side, but all in all we’ve found a promising base setting for Phillip Island, which is positive. This track is very different compared to the European circuits we tested at over the winter; I think it’s one of the most unique circuits in WorldSBK actually. For me, it’s also a matter of finding a compromise because as a tester you focus on trying many things and building a base, while as a racer you need to be much closer to the limit here. During the last session I tried to up my pace a little more and I felt better. I think I can do a better job this weekend. Lastly, I want to wish Jake Dixon all the best; I hope he can recover soon.”
Location Information
The beautiful Phillip Island circuit on the Bass Straight, off the coast of Victoria in Australia, is one of the most iconic and exciting venues in world motorsport. WorldSBK™ first raced at Phillip Island in 1990, just after the first MotoGP™ visit in 1989. Phillip Island Circuit Back Beach Road,… read more.
| POLE POSITION | LEFT |
| LENGTH | 4.445 Km |
| CORNERS | 12 |
| RIGHT CORNERS | 5 |
| LEFT CORNERS | 7 |
Records
| Pole Record | 1'27.916 (180,370 Km/h) N. Bulega (Ducati Panigale V4R, 2024) |
| Race Record | 1'28.564 (180,683 Km/h) N. Bulega RC1 (Ducati Panigale V4R, 2024) |
| All Time Record | 1'27.916 (180,370 Km/h) N. Bulega (Ducati Panigale V4R, 2024) |
| 2025 Race 1 Winner | N. Bulega (Ducati Panigale V4R) |
| 2025 Superpole Race Winner | N. Bulega (Ducati Panigale V4R) |
| 2025 Race 2 Winner | N. Bulega (Ducati Panigale V4R) |
