A Moto2 season of highs and lows continued for Jake Dixon in Indonesia, after a crash left his title hopes looking slim.

Dover’s Aspar Team rider missed the first two races of the season following a practice accident in Qatar and then failed to score a point until the Catalunya round in May. However since then he has claimed two wins, two more podiums and several other points finishes.

After a poor round at Emilia Romagna last week, where he finished unclassified, Dixon began with intent at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, qualifying just 0.069sec off pole position to line up second on the grid. But he lost control just two laps into the 22-lap race and although he returned to the track, he finished 22nd, almost a minute off race winner Aron Canet.

With 25 points for a win and five races left, starting in Japan this weekend, Dixon is 78 points off the lead.

“It has been a disastrous race,” he said. “I don't know what really has happened because we did not touch anything on the bike, but it has felt completely different [in the race].

“When [Manuel] Gonzalez has overtaken me, he has gone wide, then I have tried to close the inside and the front has closed. I have not felt comfortable at all. Despite this, I stayed out to see if anything changed.”

Dixon’s team-mate Izan Guevara also had a weekend to rue. The Spaniard thought he’d claimed his best finish of the season when he crossed the line in seventh after starting 19th. However he was disqualified for breaching weight limits.