An in-depth look at Somkiat Chantra, the historic Thai rider, after the first 8 rounds of the World Superbike Championship—a challenging mission marked by relentless determination.
The year 2026 marks another major milestone for "Kong" Somkiat Chantra in his global racing career, undertaking a highly demanding role as the lead project rider for Honda HRC in the World Superbike Championship.
The journey has been far from smooth, as the beloved Thai rider, number 35, suffered injuries beginning in the pre-season from a crash during practice at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, causing him to miss the opening race in Australia and requiring nearly two months of recovery.
"Kong" Somkiat Chantra underwent surgery on both arms and worked intensively with physical therapy to rehabilitate, returning to race at round 2 in Portimao, Portugal. However, progress had to be gradual since he was still new to the World Superbike Championship, and the team's bike was still under development.
Just as things were steadily improving entering round 3 at TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands, the Thai rider showed continuous speed gains but was unfortunately injured again, forcing him to withdraw from that event.
He made a comeback at round 4 in Hungary, marking his first race at Balaton Park Circuit, where he unlocked his first World Superbike Championship points by finishing 15th in race 2.
He then scored points in both races at MotorLand Aragon, Spain, round 6, finishing 15th in each. During that weekend, teammate Dickson also returned after months away, enabling the team to collect more bike data. Unfortunately, the British rider had to withdraw again due to recurring injury.
Somkiat elevated his performance at round 7 at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Italy, a track he knows well, finishing 15th in race 1 and 13th in race 2, scoring points in both races.
By this stage, "Kong" Somkiat Chantra has begun to find competitive race pace, especially in the latter parts of each race, though he still faces challenges in extracting speed during qualifying sessions.
Somkiat never gives up; he is committed to working closely with Honda HRC engineers to develop the bike, while rapidly adapting to a machine he only met this year, despite a significant gap to his competitors to close.
Currently in the 2026 season after 8 rounds, Somkiat Chantra ranks 20th in the championship standings with 8 points, making him the highest-scoring Honda rider at this point.
Additionally, Somkiat has had the invaluable opportunity to work alongside six-time world champion Jonathan Rea from Northern Ireland at several events, gaining priceless experience to develop himself further, never ceasing his hard work both on training and physical conditioning to be fully prepared for each race.
The 2026 World Superbike Championship is not just a personal challenge for "Kong" Somkiat but also a key project for Honda HRC in developing their race bike to compete at the front.
From here, four rounds remain, with the next race scheduled at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France from 4-6 September, followed by events at Cremona Circuit in Italy, Circuito Estoril in Portugal, and Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in Spain to close the season.