Somkiat Chantra: "I'd love to get on the podium in WorldSBK"

After two wins and three further podium finishes in Moto2 and one tough, but still important season in MotoGP, Somkiat Chantra is facing in 2026 a new challenge in his career, as he joined the FIM Superbike World Championship with the Honda HRC WorldSBK team.

The start of the season was difficult, due to a heavy injury suffered during the winter break and missing the opening round in Australia, but the Thai rider came back to business at the second round in Portimão and even if the path is uphill, he is working hard with the team to make steps and improve.

Palmen in Motorradsport had the chance to sit and chat with Somkiat Chantra about 2026, the years he spent in Moto2 and then MotoGP and also on his career in general.

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Somkiat, 2026 brings a new chapter in your career, as you have joined the WorldSBK. What do you expect from this season?

In the WorldSBK, I firstly want to score points at every race and then, if possible, I want to be on the podium, since it's been a long time since my last top 3 result. If I finish first, second or third, it doesn't matter. I will just do my best to score podiums again. 

How do you find the WorldSBK paddock, compared to MotoGP?

I like both, but I have to say that I really enjoy being in this paddock, also because people are very kind here and the atmosphere is generally more relaxed. In Portimão, many fans came to give me support and showed how they remember me, which was really nice. I hope I will have fans searching for me at every race.

Now, let's go back shortly to your season in MotoGP. What can you share about it?

In the end, the 2025 season was nice for me. I was the first Thai rider in MotoGP, which is already remarkable, and I was able to learn many things about how the MotoGP bike and the electronics work. It was hard and I also had some bad luck and injuries, but overall it was a good, important experience.

What's the best memory you have from 2025?

When I scored my first point in Assen. I made good results there already in Moto2 (he was 5th at the 2024 Dutch GP, ed) and it felt great to score my first point in MotoGP on that same track.

Before talking about your season in Moto2, let's jump back to the very start of your racing career. How did it all begin?

When I was a kid, I was always at the circuit with my father, because he used to work there and I came to help him and my mum. I saw all the time car and motorbike racing in front of me. Back in those days, Honda started a racing school there and we decided to try it, also because it was not very expensive. I therefore started racing with 9 years of age and I realized that I liked to ride in a circuit much more than on the street, which I found quite dangerous and far from the safety you have in a circuit.

And what can you say about the first seasons of your career?

At my very first race, I didn't have the tyre warmers and I didn't know how to warm up the tyres myself. My first race though did go quite well: I started in the last positions, but then I managed to finish in the top 10. I was really happy with it, so I said to my father and all my family: "I want to continue racing!". The season then continued, and things were getting better with every race. Then, Honda Thailand saw me and put me under its umbrella.

Then you went on until joining the Asia Talent Cup, which you won in 2016. What memories do you have from that year?

That year was very nice, but the end was tough. The day before the decisive race, I accidentally walked on some broken glass and I cut myself on the foot, ending up with six or seven stitches on it. I had a lot of pain, but I was fighting for the championship with Ai Ogura and Andi Farid Izdihar, so I talked to my mechanic and we finally decided that I would do the race. In the end it was the right choice, because I won the race and the title. We were very very happy with that season.

You then moved to the Moto3 Junior World Championship. 

I spent two years there, which were 2017 and 2018. Those years were amazing, because I came to Europe for the first time and I really liked the circuits and the level of the other riders, since they were so strong. In Asia I was one of the fastest, but then I came to Europe and realized that riders are even faster. It was a great experience to learn and further grow.

And after that, a huge jump came in 2019, as you moved from the Moto3 Junior straight to the Moto2 World Championship. 

I had some testing at the beginning of the year and when I touched the bike, I was really struggling, because it was much bigger and more powerful than the Moto3. When I touched the gas, the bike was immediately wheeling and then it was moving quite a lot. It was hard, but in the end I adapted and during the season, despite being a rookie, I was able to score points and even top 10 finishes (10th in Argentina and 9th in Thailand, ed).

A major highlight was for sure your first win in Moto2, which came at the 2022 Indonesian GP. What do you remember from that day?

I was really, really happy, because I became the first Thai rider to win a Grand Prix and all the people in Thailand were over the moon for it. I also remember that I immediately called my family, and together we cried and celebrated a lot.

Do you consider it as your best race in Moto2?

Yes. It was just amazing for me, because it was very difficult to stay there and fight with the front group, but there I made it and won. It took quite many years to get to the top, but all the work finally paid off.

As a rider competing at such high level, you are also much exposed to people on social media, on the positive and on the negative side. When people were sharing negative comments about you and your results in MotoGP, how did you live that?

I personally try to not look much at social media, but rather find something I enjoy. By the way, this thing actually happened already when I was in Moto2, because some people believed that I wasn't good enough to be there. At that time, I felt very sad, because I came there to race and people should support you instead of spreading bad words about you.

I then realized that thoste are just comments, from people who don't even come ride a motorbike like me. Since I experienced it already in Moto2, when I came to MotoGP I just didn't care about what those people said, because they are not the people who pay me to race. I just do my job.

What's your goal for the future?

I just want to try my best, wherever I am. And if another Thai rider comes, that is faster than me, I will just make room for him.

What do you want to say to all the riders in Thailand?

Please keep strong, try to be fast, keep following your way and try to be always on the top.

And, in conclusion, the "Thank You Moment": who do you want to thank for everything you have experienced so far in your career?

I want to say thank you to my family and to both HRC and Honda Thailand for their incredible support. Thanks also to all the sponsors, since they help me being here. Finally, thank you to all the people who have been by my side from the beginning until today.

Palmen in Motorradsport is grateful to Somkiat Chantra for his time and to Federica De Zottis (HRC WorldSBK Press Manager) for arranging and making the interview possible. Best wishes to both the rider and the team for the next races and seasons.