Jake Dixon lost the lead in the Moto2 standings after crashing out of the Grand Prix of Qatar on Sunday.

Dover’s Dixon, who was hospitalised after a high-speed practice crash in Qatar last year, was well poised to battle for his third win in a row after another excellent qualifying display saw him second fastest.

The Elf Marc VDS Racing rider held station at lights out, but dropped to fifth on lap three and was chasing down Spain’s Manuel Gonzalez in fourth when he crashed out at Turn 13 on lap 12. However he refused to be downbeat, preferring to focus on the positives.

“It was an unfortunate day but these things can happen and I just need to learn from it,” Dixon said.

“Ultimately, we had a great weekend here. I made a tiny mistake and went wide and on to the kerb and a dirty part of the track and I went down. It’s racing.

“But it’s not how we get knocked down, it’s how we get back up that determines how the rest of the year goes. I’ll be strong. I have a strong team around me.

“We were riding well here, riding fast. I’m just looking forward to getting back out there and enjoying myself on the bike again. I’m sorry to the team but let’s see what we can do in the next races.”

Dixon’s team-mate, Filip Salac, finished 10th as Spain’s Aron Canet took the flag to lead the standings - with Dixon third - going into his home race at Jerez on April 27.