Out of action since the start of the world championship
The wrist and left hand injury suffered by Jake Dixon in the pre-season test at Phillip Island, two months ago, had forced the British Honda HRC rider to obviously not take part in the Australian round, remaining in the pits also for the two subsequent events in Portugal and the Netherlands. In the latter, the 30-year-old was replaced by six-time world champion Jonathan Rea, with the Japanese manufacturer having expressed some optimism for the Englishman’s return to Balaton, where the Hungarian Round will be held. However, this will not happen.
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Honda does not choose Rea
Dixon, in fact, has not yet fully recovered from the fractures sustained in the crash, despite his recovery progressing positively. Honda confirmed his absence with an official note, but with a change compared to previous ones that had called Rea as his replacement: “The Honda HRC team confirms that official rider Jake Dixon will be replaced by Japanese Yuki Kunii in the upcoming WorldSBK Round at Balaton Park. Dixon suffered wrist fractures during a pre-season test at Phillip Island, a complex injury that unfortunately forced him to miss the first four Rounds of the 2026 season. Jake is undergoing an intense physiotherapy program and is doing everything to accelerate his recovery, including daily hyperbaric chamber sessions. Although everything is progressing well on the road to recovery, he is not yet in a condition to race.”
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Who is Kunii?
Honda has thus announced Kunii, who will make his absolute Superbike debut in Hungary. Born in 2003, the Japanese rider has won races in championships such as the Asia Talent Cup, the Red Bull Rookies Cup, and the CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship. In the MotoGP World Championship, he participated in the Moto3 season in 2020-2021, before moving to Moto2 last year.
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