Honda has shaken the motorsport world by sending two Thai riders, Somkiat Chantra and Kiatisak Singhapong, to join forces on the global stage to compete in the MotoGP and Moto3 categories at the Japanese Grand Prix.
"Kong" Somkiat Chantra, an outstanding Thai rider, and "Mai Q" Kiatisak Singhapong have arrived in Japan and are ready to compete in the motorcycle road racing world championship event, the Japanese Grand Prix, at Mobility Resort Motegi, Japan, from 2-4 October. Thai speed fans are ready to cheer for the two Thai riders competing simultaneously in the MotoGP and Moto3 classes on the world stage.
This weekend marks a significant moment for Thai motorsport as "Kong" Somkiat Chantra prepares to return to compete in the premier MotoGP class once again, while "Mai Q" Kiatisak Singhapong is set to begin his mission in the final seven rounds of the Moto3 World Championship season. This reflects the development path of Thai riders from the “Honda Race to the Dream” program to competing on the world motorsport stage.
Somkiat Chantra, who has worked hard with the Honda HRC factory team in the 2026 World Superbike Championship, has been trusted by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) to return and compete in MotoGP again with the Honda HRC Castrol factory team at the Japanese Grand Prix. He will ride the Honda RC213V bike number 15 in front of Honda motorsport fans in Japan.
Somkiat Chantra said, "I would like to sincerely thank Honda HRC for trusting me to race in MotoGP at Motegi with the factory team. This year, we have worked very hard in World Superbike to make progress, and last weekend we managed to elevate our performance further. Now, I need to adjust my mindset and adapt to the new bike and new challenges. Motegi is a track I have good memories of because in 2023 I won in the Moto2 class there."
Meanwhile, "Mai Q" Kiatisak Singhapong, a promising young rider from Honda Racing Thailand who has performed impressively in the Moto3 Junior World Championship and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, has been given a major opportunity to join the 2026 Moto3 World Championship for the final seven races of the season with SNIPERS Team. He will race the Honda NSF250RW bike number 85, starting from the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend and continuing through to the season finale in Valencia, Spain.
This represents a significant step for "Mai Q" Kiatisak Singhapong, reflecting the systematic development of Thai riders under the "Honda Race to the Dream" program. This program builds foundations from youth levels, through auditions for the Honda Academy, continuous skill development, and gaining racing experience at each level, supported by Thai Honda and Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), leading to this important opportunity to compete in the Moto3 World Championship.
The Japanese Grand Prix schedule includes practice sessions on Friday, 2 October, qualifying on Saturday, 3 October, and the MotoGP Sprint race at 13:00 Thailand time. The main races will be on Sunday, 4 October, starting with Moto3 at 09:00, followed by Moto2 at 10:15, and concluding with the premier MotoGP class at 12:00, all broadcast live on TrueVisions Now SPOTV.