The Englishman has enjoyed a breakthrough 2022 campaign, claiming his four grand prix podiums and holding a career best eighth in the standings with four rounds to go.

“I am looking forward to my third season with the GASGAS Aspar Team,” Dixon said of 2023. “I want to continue improving and evolving, in the race weeks that we have left this year and in the next season.

“This year has been incredible, with four podiums, two pole positions and six front rows. We are just missing the first victory, but we don’t have to be impatient because, working like this, it will come soon.

“In 2023 we will have to take a leap and fight for the title. This year we have been fast, but we have to put into practice everything we have been learning to be able to fight for the championship.

“I want to do my best and I’m glad I can continue working together with my technical team. I want to thank the team again, for having trusted in me from the first moment and because together we can achieve great results.”

After fighting for the BSB title in 2018, Dixon made his full-time Moto2 debut with Aspar – then running the KTM chassis – the following year.

A switch to Petronas SRT and the Kalex frame for 2020 and 2021 saw Dixon narrowly miss out on a podium, bounce back from injury and also make two MotoGP appearances before returning to Aspar (Kalex) this season.

Dixon, 26, is currently on course to more than triple the points of his previous best grand prix campaign.

“We brought Jake Dixon into the World Championship in 2019 and I must say that he has grown spectacularly in recent years,” said team boss Jorge Martinese ‘Aspar’.

“We are very happy to have been able to form a great team around him, which has allowed him to think only about competing and achieving the best possible result.

“This year we have celebrated some podiums with him, but next year he has to fight constantly to be in the top three. We are sure that he will be able to get it.”

 

Izan Guevara bounced back after a less than perfext start to his weekend to win the Moto3 Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.

Riding high after a dominant win at Aragon, where he lead from start to finish, things were certainly not going all the Autosolar GasGas Aspar riders way in Japan.

The number 28 started his day with a warm-up crash, hitting John McPhee hard and destroying his bike.

Qualifying ninth, with bike rebuilt, he immediately set about fighting his way forward to lead before the end of the first lap, after Tatsuki Suzuki and Sergio Garcia briefly lead the way.

As the lead group settled it was Ayumu Sasaki who pushed to lead, taking over on occasion.

With four laps remaining Guevara saw his chance, his push for the front happened to be timed perfectly to take advantage of Sasaki, Dennis Foggia and Jaume Masia all fighting for position.

The Spaniard held his gap at just over half a second, with Masia pushing so hard to try and prevent his break that he fell chasing.

Win number five of the season gave Guevara his second set of back-to-back victories this season as he extends his lead in the title hunt.

Behind, it was Foggia who crossed the line second for Leopard, unable to bridge the gap, 0.593s behind.

Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max rider Sasaki felt his tyres fading massively in the closing stages, but still held on for a home podium ,the first Japanese rider to do so since 2009.

Sergio Garcia lead the chasing group for much of the race after fading away from the lead group. He was challenged over the closing laps with David Munoz, Diogo Moreira and John McPhee all briefly holding the position.

The previous championship leader saw his title hopes drifting further away, so closed the race with some aggressive riding to finish fourth on the second Aspar entry.

The group crossed the line almost ten seconds behind race winner Guevara, with David Munoz completing his comeback from 16th on the grid as he fought back to finish fifth for BOE Motorsports, narrowly ahead of fellow rookie Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) in sixth, with McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) just the last of them to the flag in seventh.

There was a gap back to Ryusei Yamanaka on the second MT Helmets entry, who took eighth at  home. 

He came through with Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers) who placed ninth, with Riccardo Rossi doing enough to complete the top ten for SIC58 Squadra Corse.

Xavier Artigas (CFMoto Racing PruestelGP) worked his way back up to eleventh, ahead of Stefano Nepa in welfth for the Angeluss MTA Team.

The remaning points went to Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team)  in 13th , Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) in 14th and Dennis Oncu, who kept his perfect points record thanks to the fall ahead after running wide at the start of the race for Red Bull KTM Tech3 as he battled pain as well as the field after hurting his finger in a crash earlier in the day in warm-up.

Crashes and penalties

 

The race was a crash peppered spectacle from start to finish, due to the nature of the track which lacked grip after Saturdays downpour.

Joel Kelso and Joshua Whatley were first out at turn nine, with Carlos Tatay and Kaito Toba only lasting a corner longer.

Kanta Hamada, in for Alberto Surra at Snipers was next out of the race, quickly followedby Daniel Holgado.

Tatsuki Suzuki slid out of the lead group on lap six, with Adrian Fernandez sliding out in a similar manner right behind. He rejoined for  18th.

Scott Ogden ran wide onto the gravel, but stayed upright after already dropping out of the points places after qualifying second. The VisionTrack rider finished 20th.

Niccolo Carraro, Lorenzo Fellon also crashed out of contention

Everyone on a long lap warning for track limits avoided a penalty.

 

Where does that leave the championship?

 

Guevara extends his championship lead , now with a 45 point gap over team-mate Garcia and a total of 254.

Foggia remains third overall with 191 points after his second place finish, while Sasaki remains fourth with 174.

Izan Guevara put in a performance that felt as if it could define the championship as he controlled MotorLand to ease to victory in the Moto3 Aragon Grand Prix, round fifteen of the championship.

The current championship leader started from pole with a great run previously on home soil – winning both of the rounds previously held in Spain.

That track record was maintained after a breakakway at the front of the race. 

Leading from the front for Autosolar GasGas Aspar and never truly challenged for the lead, the Spanish rider initially had Daniel Holgado and Ayumu Sasaki go with him, with the front row starters holding station out front.

Holgado was dropped first, with Sasaki closing in for a final push for position on the penultimate lap.

 

The #28 instead pulled away for his fourth win of the season, leading over the line by almost a second with a 0.937s gap.

Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max rider Sasaki was unable to answer so had to settle for second, with his own gap back to Holgado, running solo in third. 

 
The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider was on the front row for the third time in his rookie season, but before this round had not translated his qualifying form into podium success. This time he enjoyed his first podium finish and was quick to congratulate his friend on the win, the pair also having helped each other find the best line in qualifying on Saturday.

Deniz Oncu was kept from the front of the grid with a bike issue in qualifying, which left him down in 13th on the grid. The Turkish rider wasted no time in cutting through the pack and soon found himself taking over from Tatsuki Suzuki at the front of the chasing group.

Setting a new best in race lap record was not enough to be able to bridge the sizeable gap the lead trio had carved out for themselves, but one in fourth the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider was unchallenged for the position.

 

After his controversial qualifying experience, which saw the Max Racing team members sanctioned for their actions, Adrian Fernandez seemed to have a fire lit underneath him for Sunday. His electric performance saw him race his way to fifth in a seven way battle to the line from the chasing group, his best finish to date.

Angeluss MTA team rider Ivan Ortola put on some strong moves in the final corners to climb to sixth, with fellow rookie David Munoz (BOE Motorsports) seventh after a long lap penalty for forcing Fernandez wide earlier in the race as he was perhaps too aggressive on his way through from 16h on the grid.

Twice a winner at Aragon, Jaume Masia made late gains to claim eighth in the crowded rush to the line for Red Bull KTM Ajo, just ahead of Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PreustelGP).

McPhee 10th despite bike issues

 

John McPhee brought home the second Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max Racing bike in an up and down race for the British rider. 
Qualifying fifth McPhee immediately looked at home in the chasing group and able to fight to the front and lead the chase to the breakaway trio.

The issues he had experienced in practice then returned and the #17 was unable to switch gear, dropping him out of the top ten. Fighting back he made top five again after much fiddling to get his bike moving again only for the issue to rear its head again with three laps remaining. Fighting hard the Scottish rider came home tenth in the main group.

Eleventh went to Xavier Artigas on the second CFMoto entry. He just kept Tatsuki Suzuki behind on the first of the Leopard bikes to cross the line.

Title hopefuls falter

 

Sergio Garcia was next to the line in the incredibly close gang to meet the flag.

The Spaniard, who lost his title lead to Guevara last time out in San Marino had a tough time out on track. Trying hard to make up for his twelfth on the grid, every time he made up places he was pushed back after trying too hard and running tight or wide.

One place further back in 14th was Dennis Foggia. The Italian had  brought himself back into the championship race after winning the San Marino Grand Prix but never featured at all in the race and was off the huge group crossing the line on his Leopard entry.

The final point on offer went to Diogo Moreira ( MT Helmets – MSI), who also came back from a long lap loop penalty, his was for exceeding track limits.

Maria Herrera and her all female team and crew at MTA Angeluss finished 27th with regular female rider Ana Carrasco (BOE Motorsports) ahead in 25th. 

Crashes and penalties

 

Lorenzo Fellon fell off at turn one on the very first lap and took both Nicola Carraro and Joshua Whatley with him. Scott Ogden was the best of the VisionTrack riders in 22nd,

Ryusei Yamanaka fell later on the same lap but rejoined for seven more laps before retiring.

Where does that leave the championship?

 

Izan Guevara now extends total to 229 points moving his lead from a slim eleven to a substantial 33 point gap over team-mate and rival Sergio Garcia who only added three points to his tally.

Dennis Foggia only gained two points to leave him a very distant third overall, with Ayumu Sasaki’s second moving him into fourth overall on 158 points.