Somkiat Chantra continues to build speed momentum on the first day of the World Superbike Championship 2026, Round 5, in the Czech Republic.
The World Superbike Championship 2026 Round 5 is scheduled from 15-17 May at Autodrom Most, Czech Republic. This weekend, "Kong" Somkiat Chantra, the top Thai rider number 35 from the Honda HRC factory team, is working hard to improve his base speed to challenge the front group.
This time, his teammate is Japanese rider Yuki Kunii, number 92, who replaces British rider Jake Dixon for this round. The race at Autodrom Most marks the first time for both Somkiat and Kunii to ride on this circuit, so most of the first day's work focuses on adapting to the track's winding characteristics while working with the bike setup to find the best configuration for this venue.
In practice results, Somkiat Chantra focused on adapting to the new track during his first session, recording a best lap time of 1 minute 34.060 seconds. He then improved significantly by learning the circuit, lowering his time by 1.354 seconds from the initial session to place 21st with a lap time of 1 minute 32.706 seconds, closing the gap to the leader to 1.915 seconds. Meanwhile, Kunii ranked 22nd, trailing by 2.989 seconds.
After the first practice, Somkiat Chantra said, "Today was a learning day, especially in the morning, which was very difficult because everything was new for me on this track. I still made mistakes with braking points, cornering lines, and the feeling of grip, so I needed time to adapt. But with each lap, I improved my times and started to understand the track's character better."
"In the afternoon, we focused on building more speed and consistency by simulating longer runs and testing new tires. We made great progress compared to the morning, which is positive, but I am still behind the front group and need to keep improving for tomorrow. I will continue working with the team to step up our performance on Saturday," the Thai rider concluded.
For the World Superbike Championship 2026 Round 5, Superpole qualifying to determine the starting grid will take place on Saturday, 16 May, followed by the first race the same evening at 19:00 Thailand time. Then, the Superpole race will be held on Sunday, 17 May at 16:10, concluding with Race 2 at 20:30.