Written by Isha Reshmi Mohan
After being promoted to MotoGP and becoming one of three rookies this season with the Honda LCR Team, Somkiat Chantra was fortunate to make his debut on home soil.
We can expect slow but steady growth from Somkiat as he adapts to the bike. He is no stranger to success, having made a strong impression as a wildcard entry in Moto3 in 2018 before moving up to Moto2 the following year with the Idemitsu Honda Team, known for nurturing Asian talent.
In 2022, he secured his first victory at the Mandalika Circuit, becoming the first Thai rider to win a Moto2 race.
After progressing through the Honda Academy, he was officially announced as a Premier Class rider for 2024, joining the LCR team with continued support from Idemitsu.
In his first full race in the Premier Class, he finished P18, ahead of Pedro Acosta and Lorenzo Savadori. While he was the lowest-finishing rookie and trailed his teammate, Johann Zarco, by 11 positions, Chantra emphasized that the key takeaway from the weekend was the experience gained from transitioning from Moto2 to MotoGP, as well as adapting to longer race durations.
And once again today, he expressed his happiness in completing all 26 laps in Buriram’s challenging weather, as it demonstrated his physical fitness to endure the demands of a full race in an ‘extreme’ weather as seen in Buriram.
Additionally, the race helped him better understand tyre management from start to finish.
Ahead of him were Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Viñales, and Alex Rins—riders he had observed closely to study their riding styles during the race.
When asked what he had learned from watching them, he noted that Quartararo seemed particularly skilled at managing his tires while maintaining good "motion and grip."
Regarding Viñales, he again mentioned his "motion" and reflected on his own performance, admitting that his aggressive start had impacted his tyres, making the race more challenging toward the end.
