Another piece of the 2027 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rider market puzzle snaps into place as Honda HRC have announced that Somkiat Chantra will return for 2027. Marred by injury, his 2026 season has been limited, but his renewal is a vote of confidence from Honda HRC in his potential in the final two rounds of 2026 and the campaign to come.
SIGNS OF GROWTH AHEAD OF A FRESH START
Hot off of Chantra’s head-turning MotoGP wildcard appearance, both the #35 and his teammate Jake Dixon have shown improved pace through the most recent rounds. Despite a largely rain-abridged preseason ahead of their rookie season as full-time WorldSBK riders, Chantra tied his season-best P13 in all three races over the weekend at Cremona. Alongside the #96’s improved results, the Honda CBR1000RR-R SP riders will be one to keep an eye on over the final two rounds as it looks like they may have found something on their bikes.
“WE STILL HAVE GREAT POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE TOGETHER, AND I AM VERY MOTIVATED TO KEEP WORKING”
On the renewal, Chantra said: “I am very happy to continue with Honda HRC in WorldSBK for another season. This year has been a new challenge for me, with a new Championship, a new bike and many new tracks to learn, but step by step I have gained experience and a better understanding of the CBR1000RR-R SP. I really appreciate the trust that Honda HRC continues to place in me, and I want to thank the team for all their hard work and support. I feel that we still have great potential to improve together, and I am very motivated to keep working, make further progress and achieve stronger results in 2027.”
Honda HRC General Manager Taichi Honda added: “We are very pleased to continue with Somkiat for the 2027 season. This year he has approached his first WorldSBK season with great commitment and a very positive attitude, working closely with the team and our engineers as he has adapted to a new Championship. We believe there is still significant potential to develop together, and the continuity of our rider line-up will be important as Honda HRC continues to work on strengthening our WorldSBK project. We look forward to continuing this journey with Somkiat and seeing him take further steps forward in 2027.”
Catch Chantra in the penultimate round to come at Estoril, kicking off on Friday, October 9th Live and OnDemand with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now just €9.99!