Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) will step back into the MotoGP paddock for Honda’s home round at the upcoming MOTUL Grand Prix of Japan for a replacement ride for Honda HRC Castrol rider Joan Mir. The Spanish MotoGP rider has been battling persistent health issues which caused him to retire from the San Marino GP and the most recent Austrian GP. As he undergoes further testing to find the root cause, he has been ruled out of competition in Japan; resulting in the Thai rider being selected to return to that paddock as a replacement rider.
Chantra landed his second Moto2 win at the Mobility Resort Motegi back in 2023, building on a P5 in Japan in the same category a season prior. Before that, while riding in the Asia Talent Cup, he took sixth in 2014, then P6 and P4 two seasons later in the same class. Most recently, in his 2025 rookie MotoGP season, he rode as the first-ever Thai MotoGP rider, and bagged one of his five point-scoring results while riding with Honda LCR, tying his second-best result that season of P15 on the Honda RC213V.
Catch Chantra on-track this weekend at Cremona, with the action kicking off on Friday, September 25th! Watch Live and OnDemand with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 70% off!