Somkiat Chantra, a Thai motorcycle racer, reveals that he has been working hard on all fronts to prepare for the World Superbike 2026 Round 9 in France.
"Kong" Somkiat Chantra, the beloved Thai rider from the factory Honda HRC team, is fully ready to compete in the 2026 World Superbike Championship Round 9 at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France, which will be his first time racing at this venue this weekend.
After a mid-season break of more than two months, the 2026 World Superbike Championship is set to resume in France, with races scheduled from 4 to 6 September, eagerly anticipated by motorsport fans worldwide.
Recently, Somkiat Chantra, the Thai rider with race number 35 from Honda HRC, along with his British teammate Jake Dixon, number 96, and their team have arrived at the circuit to prepare ahead of the race weekend.
During the two-month break, the Thai rider focused on intense physical training and completed two test sessions with his team at circuits where he has never raced before: Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, the venue for this weekend’s race, and Circuito Estoril in Portugal. The team gathered important data to set up the bike under different track conditions, and Somkiat completed many laps to learn and adapt to both tracks.
Before the weekend, Somkiat Chantra said, "After finishing testing at Estoril last week, I did not return to Thailand but spent 2-3 days in Italy to prepare my body optimally. Now we have arrived at Magny-Cours, which will be my first race at this circuit. We tested here back in August."
"We are working on every aspect, including bike setup. The basic setup seems about 80 percent complete, and the remaining 20 percent we will focus on improving during the weekend and evaluate how to proceed."
The World Superbike 2026 Round 9 schedule begins with practice sessions on Friday, 4 September, followed by the Superpole qualifying on Saturday, 5 September, which will determine the starting grid and the first race held the same night at 20:30 Thailand time. Sunday, 6 September, will feature the Superpole race at 16:10 and conclude with Race 2 at 19:00.