Somkiat Chantra competes in the first race of the World Superbike Championship 2026 Round 2 in Portugal.
The 2026 World Superbike Championship Round 2 first race took place late Saturday night, 28 March, at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, Portugal, featuring a total of 20 laps.
In this race, "Kong" Somkiat Chantra, the first Thai rider in history to compete in the full season of the premier World Superbike Championship, raced with bike number 35 for the factory Honda HRC team. He faced a tough challenge starting from grid 19, while his experienced Irish teammate and six-time world champion Jonathan Rea, number 65, started from grid 18.
Somkiat Chantra faced difficulties early in the race, losing position to drop to the back of the pack on lap 3. However, he managed to maintain strong bike performance as grip improved, overtaking competitors to reach 16th place before finishing the race in 18th, 35.461 seconds behind the winner. Rea, who had a strong start, finished 19th, trailing by 37.111 seconds.
After the race, Somkiat Chantra said, "I'm happy to be back racing and to debut in the World Superbike. The results are still far from the team's goals, but overall there are many positive aspects we can build on. I made a mistake at turn 5 early in the race, which caused me to fall to the back, forcing me to push the tires hard to regain positions. This wore out my tires toward the end. Nevertheless, I'm satisfied with the consistent speed I maintained almost throughout the race. The bike setup for cornering was good, but we still need to improve the electronics. We have two more sessions tomorrow: the Superpole Race and Race 2. We will stay focused and improve step by step. I'm confident we can do it and continue to develop."
The 2026 World Superbike Championship Round 2 will hold the Superpole Race on Sunday, 29 March, at 18:10 Thailand time, followed by Race 2 at 22:30 Thailand time.