Thai Honda Teams Up with HRC to Send Two Riders to Global Factory Teams

Yuichi Shimizu, Executive Chairman of Thai Honda, and Dr. Arak Porprapa, President of Thai Honda, jointly announced their 2026 motorsports policy at the Honda Safety Driving Center in Bangkok on February 6th. Dr. Arak stated that Thai Honda is moving forward with their 'Dare To Dreams' concept to elevate Thai motorsports by sending two Thai riders to Honda HRC factory teams - one in road racing and one in off-road racing. These riders are 'Kong' Somkiat Chantra for the 2026 World Superbike Championship and 'Nemo' Jirat Wanluck for the 2026 All Japan Motocross Championship. Somkiat Chantra, the first Thai MotoGP rider in history, will compete with Honda HRC in the World Superbike Championship, paired with Jake Dixon. Meanwhile, Jirat Wanluck, the Thai national champion, will be the first rider to compete full-season in the All Japan Motocross Championship. Thai Honda Racing will also collaborate with Honda HRC to send Thai technicians to learn global-level techniques in both road and dirt racing, with the goal of developing world-class racing talent.