Somkiat Chantra’s recent Motegi MotoGP experience is something he is actively trying to bring to WorldSBK this weekend at the Estoril Round. Chantra filled in for the sick Joan Mir at the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend, finishing fifth in a standout ride that out-did any of his showings during his 2025 campaign in the premier class.
The Thai rider stated after the race last weekend that he felt much better on the MotoGP machine at Motegi than at any point during 2025. Now, he reveals that some of the electronics strategies he tested last weekend are being implemented into his WorldSBK package.
"It was really nice to come back again in MotoGP and also it’s nice to go back with Honda, and we tried to work with the electronics side," Somkiat Chantra told WorldSBK.com after FP2 in Estoril, highlighting the technical knowledge gained from the premier class.
"Also we tried to take that in World Superbike – some points are good, some points are not good, but for me it was really nice to go there again to bring something from there to put here," added Chantra, who finished Friday's running in 13th position.
Beyond his time as a stand-in rider, Chantra emphasized that recent progress has been significantly bolstered by the return of teammate Jake Dixon, who missed the majority of the season due to an injury.
"We need to improve more," Chantra said regarding the team's ongoing development trajectory. "We were getting better and better, and also Jake when he’s come back he’s tried to work on electronics side and also setup side. We improved together and this for me was really nice because when he came back we could see immediately he was fast."
"I tried electronics from him, also maybe some parts he tried from me, and we tried to improve together. This worked really nice, and also the team worked really hard from the beginning of the year until now."
Reflecting on Honda's apparent recent development strides, Chantra concluded: "I was really happy with some new setup of the bike, some electronics side. When I’m riding I feel like I’m enjoying to ride, not like before when riding and I felt it was so difficult riding the bike and I wasn’t enjoying. After that, when we had a good setup and also good electronics, I feel I’m enjoying to ride."
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