It's rare for Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) to part ways with a MotoGP rider after just one season. But that's what happened to Somkiat Chantra, who was forced to give up his seat at LCR Honda to Brazilian star Diogo Moreira, currently third in the Moto2 championship.
Chantra, despite having 2 wins and 6 podiums in 106 Moto2 starts, never managed to tame an RC213V already known for its capriciousness. Worse still, his accident at Assen at the end of June kept him off the track for two months. The result was brutal: only one point scored and a last place in the championnat.
The sanction has been imposed: Moreira will recover the saddle in 2026, while Chantra is… shipped to the World Superbike Championship (WSBK).
### Honda changes everything in WSBK, but refuses the big guns
Honda takes advantage of this “transfer” to remodel its Superbike team. Iker Lecuona will leave for home Ducati replacing Baptist, While Xavi Verge finds himself without a handlebar. Their designated replacement? Jake Dixon, 29 years old, currently fifth in Moto2.
By his side, Honda wanted to place Sergio García, but the young Spaniard flatly refused: "plan B" according to him, he preferred to continue in Moto2 with Gresini.
Honda: Chantra ousted after one season, Superbike project in chaos
Result: the Fireblade, already unable to compete since its return, will inherit Chantra, more out of guilt than conviction, as several paddock observers assert: " Chantra's move to Superbike was more due to the guilty conscience of the Japanese leadership than to the belief that he could lead Honda to the top »
And the paradox is cruel: Honda seeks to revive a ruined project, but refuses the big names of the plateau – Jonathan Rea, Alvaro Bautista, Andrea Iannone, Dominique Aegerter or Michael van der Mark were all ignored.
The figures are dizzying for Honda : last victory in Superbike : Nicky Hayden in Sepang in 2016…in the rain. Last triumph in dry weather: Jonathan Rhea in Portimao in 2014. Last world title: James Toseland in 2007.
Since the launch of the CBR1000RR-R in 2020, the harvest has been ridiculous: six third places and nothing else. By sending Chantra at the Superbike, Honda doesn't solve any problems. The Thai won't be the savior of a chronically underperforming Fireblade. The real message behind this decision? HRC sails by sight, rejects established champions and is content with symbolic solutions.
