Somkiat Chantra To Replace Mir For Japanese Grand Prix

Honda has called up Somkiat Chantra to fill Joan Mir's factory seat at the Japanese Grand Prix, pulling the Thai rider off its World Superbike program for a one-off return to MotoGP at Motegi. HRC confirmed Chantra will ride the Honda HRC Castrol RC213V while the 2020 world champion continues a recovery and observation period .

Mir has been ruled out of rounds 16 and 17, the Japanese and Indonesian Grands Prix, on the medical advice of Dr. Angel Charte and the medical staff treating him at Barcelona's Dexeus University Hospital. His problems trace back to the San Marino GP at Misano, where he retired after five laps citing headaches and an unexplained energy shortage.

Blood work carried out while he sat out the Austrian round returned what Honda called "altered parameters," and those results remain inconclusive. Charte has ordered 15 days of strict rest. Any further news on Mir's status won't come until after the Indonesian round.

HRC test rider Takaaki Nakagami covered for Mir at the Red Bull Ring, where he impressed with 13th on his first race of the season, ahead of full-time Honda men Luca Marini and Diogo Moreira. For Motegi, however, Nakagami was already committed to a wildcard spot on a fifth RCV at his home event. This season will be the final year such premier-class wildcards are allowed, with the format outlawed from 2027, leaving Motegi one of the last opportunities to gather development data. Fellow test rider Aleix Espargaro is still working back to fitness after his Sepang back injuries.

While Chantra may not have been an obvious choice, he has a history of success at Motegi, the circuit where he took his 2023 Moto2 win and later placed 15th in last season's MotoGP round with LCR. His premier-class rookie year underwhelmed, netting seven points and 26th in the standings before he moved to Honda's WorldSBK effort for 2026.

That campaign has been derailed too, with a pre-season crash requiring surgery and delaying his adaptation to the CBR1000RR-R. He sits 20th on 10 points, having scored on seven occasions with a best of 13th.

Chantra is only confirmed for Motegi, as Indonesia's Mandalika round clashes with the WSBK's October 9-11 stop at Estoril. Honda will need another replacement for that weekend.

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