Somkiat Chantra will return to MotoGP as stand-in for the injured Joan Mir at the Japanese Grand Prix with the factory Honda team.
It was announced on Tuesday that Mir will miss the next two races, the Japanese and Indonesian rounds, which take place in early October.
For the time being, Chantra has only been confirmed to compete in Japan, as the Mandalika round coincides with the penultimate round of the World Superbike season, which takes place at Estoril from 9-11 October.
After spending six seasons in Moto2 between 2019 and 2024, in which he achieved two victories and six podiums in 106 races, Chantra moved up to MotoGP in 2025, taking the side of the LCR garage reserved for Asian riders, replacing Takaaki Nakagami, who retired at the end of 2024 and is now working as an HRC test rider.
In his first and only year in the premier class, Chantra failed to meet expectations, completing 17 starts with a 13th place in Indonesia as his best result, finishing the season with seven points and 26th in the championship standings.
Far from improving with his move to the World Superbike championship, 2026 got off to a difficult start for the Asian rider, as an injury in Sepang while preparing for the season forced him to undergo surgery, delaying the entire adaptation to the Honda CBR1000RR-R.
Joan Mir, Honda HRC
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
So far, Chantra has scored 10 points and is 20th in the standings, albeit ahead of his team-mate Jake Dixon, who has been badly affected by injuries.
After Nakagami replaced Mir at the Austrian GP, held last weekend, Honda has had to turn to Chantra because the Japanese rider will take part in the race as a wildcard with the Honda Test Team.
With a view to the Indonesian GP, which takes place the following weekend, Honda will have to decide who takes on the role of Mir’s replacement. Chantra is due to be in World Superbike action while Nakagami has a private test in Sepang on 14-15 October.
Aleix Espargaro, who has recovered from his serious back injury, would be a possibility, although the Spaniard will also have to be ready for the test following the Mandalika weekend.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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