One of Honda HRC’s two rookie rider acquisitions is back with the team after his preseason injury. Thai sensation Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) required surgery after a crash in training, culminating in the #36 missing the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season opener. After having received the medical all-clear, he partook in the Portimao test, logging important laps as he came to grips with his Honda CBR1000RR-R SP.

After his crash in training on a stock bike back in January, Chantra required surgery on both arms, and ongoing recovery efforts saw him miss the Australian Round. His rookie teammate Jake Dixon (Honda HRC), who suffered a crash in the Official Test preceding the round, unfortunately missed the round as well. Now, in the buildup to the Pirelli Portuguese Round, Chantra is back on the bike, and while he isn’t yet 100%, he has plenty to be happy about after the single day of testing. The Thai WorldSBK rookie placed P11 on Day 1 with his 1’42.546s time, placing him 1.4s out from the top three spots. He elected to save his testing days instead of partaking in the wet Day 2 on track.

On his getting back on the bike at Portimao, Chantra said: “It was, of course, good to be back on the bike and able to test, even if the weather only allowed us to complete around 40 laps. I tried to take it step by step to see how my arms felt. The left arm has been okay, but on the right side, I still can’t move exactly as I did before, and when I try to lean into the corner, I feel a bit of pain. But I was expecting that, and it’s quite normal. I had already done some training with my CBR600RR back in Thailand, but the goal of this test was to get some proper track time and regain confidence with my racing bike and with my team. I’ll now return home and continue training; I hope to be ready for the Pirelli Portuguese Round.”

Catch Chantra’s WorldSBK debut Live or OnDemand with the WorldSBK VideoPass!