Somkiat Chantra and Thailand set for historic MotoGP™ chapter

In 2025, history will be made as former Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup champions, Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) makes the move to MotoGP™ with IDEMITSU Honda LCR, becoming the first-ever Thai rider to compete in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

During the Austrian GP, Oh Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) became the first rider to progress through the ATC ranks and earn promotion to MotoGP™ in a special announcement for the Road to MotoGP™ series, Honda Team Asia and Japan. Ogura’s former Moto2™ team-mate Chantra makes it two former ATC riders to earn a place in the premier class.

Chantra’s first two seasons in the ATC brought immediate success, with the Thai star claiming the title in 2016 – the first from his country to do so. Two years in the JuniorGP™ World Championship followed, with a wildcard Thai GP appearance in the Moto3™ World Championship in 2018 seeing Chantra claim an impressive P9 on home turf.

After a successful Grand Prix debut, Chantra jumped into the Moto2™ World Championship in 2019 and in 2022 he took his and Thailand’s first victory at the Indonesian GP. Chantra followed that win with another 25 points in 2023 at the Japanese GP, en route to a career-best P6 overall finish in the intermediate class.

Soon, at the end of the 2024 campaign, Thailand will have a MotoGP™ hero from their home country to cheer on. And don’t forget where we race first in 2025: that’s right, Buriram! The Thai GP is always packed with great Thai supporters who are in fantastic voices from Friday to Sunday, and we know that tone will be turned up a notch or two when Chantra arrives as a MotoGP™ rider.

From ATC to MotoGP™. What a journey it has been so far for Chantra and Ogura, who are serving as the trailblazers for more Thai, Japanese and Asian rising stars to hopefully follow. A historic chapter awaits.