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During the Aragon weekend, the name of Taka Nakagami's heir on the Honda LCR Idemitsu seat was revealed. In 2025 it will in fact be Somkiat Chantra who will take over the RCV run by Lucio Cecchinello's team, continuing a tradition that sees his team destined to debut and grow young Asian talent. We spoke with Lucio about this in the MotorLand paddock, listening to his point of view and also exploring more broadly the motivations that will lead Chantra to become the first Thai rider to debut in the top class.
"Somkiat is great news for MotoGP, " were Cecchinello's words, "for Honda and also a good opportunity for the future for us to try to reconfirm our capabilities. We want to be useful to those riders who deserve a chance in MotoGP. I have to say as a premise, that the Idemitsu Honda project, represents a little bit the last step of a great path that Honda and Dorna wanted to prepare for Asian riders."
We are talking about markets that from a certain point of view represent the future of MotoGP.
"Our sport is obviously very popular in Europe, but we also know that Dorna, FIM, the manufacturers that have global interests, need the grid to be made up of riders of different nationalities. We also know that in Asia there are not the same economic and sporting opportunities for everybody, so Honda started this nice Talent Cup project in Asia with the Honda Asia Teams in Moto3 and Moto2, and then the Idemitsu side of our box represents just the final step of this idea."
It ends a kind of era with Nakagami, they were good years but maybe it was time for a change?
"Yes, the first rider to occupy this position was Nakagami, now after seven years it was time to make room for another young guy. I think everyone expected Ogura to be Nakagami's natural heir. Ai made his due considerations, he had Honda's offer on the plate but also Team Trackhouse's offer and he made his evaluations. Right after Ogura, Chantra was the other possible choice. He has shown that he can be competitive, he has skills and talent. He has already shown that he can win a Grand Prix, and even though he is not having an outstanding season this year there are reasons for that. We will work humbly as always to help him grow and become a competitive rider in MotoGP as well."
He will be making his MotoGP racing debut right at Buriram, his home track. He will have a lot of extra pressure; it won't be easy.
"Yes, for Somkiat it will be a very tough debut in Thailand in the first GP of 2025. Let's say that from our side the work to be done will be to not transfer all the pressure that such a scenario entails to him and to come prepared as best we can. From what I know, though, he is a guy who has proven to go even harder when there is so much pressure. He has had some great races, like last year in Motegi when he won. It won't be easy, but it will also be a wonderful opportunity for everyone."
From a certain point of view, don't you think it's better to have Chantra rather than Ogura? I mean especially from a business point of view.
"Definitely there are very important aspects of having a Thai rider on the grid. We always have to be very pragmatic and be able to separate the various aspects of each issue. If we think purely about the sporting aspect, looking at the numbers, maybe Ogura would have warranted a few more advantages as a rider than Chantra. But on the other hand he wanted to make a different choice. Also I am convinced that Somkiat can also do well from a racing point of view. On the other hand, if we look at the situation more from the outside and try to have a more comprehensive view, having a Thai rider for the first time is crucial."
MotoGP needs to go in that direction perhaps.
"Thailand is a very important market for Honda as it is for all the other manufacturers. It represents a big growth country where the popularity index of MotoGP is through the roof, so we are honored and happy to be able to work with a rider like Somkiat and to be the vehicle and the team that brings a Thai for the first time in the world championship, something I think is important for the whole paddock."
A relationship had been formed with Nakagami that went beyond the sporting point in time. Will you miss him?
"I agree with you, but I'm glad it's not a real goodbye with Taka. He will continue to be part of the Honda family, he will continue to come to circuits around the world because he will be the test rider for HRC, who will have to shoulder the work of selecting evolutions to test in Japan before the material even arrives in Europe. He is scheduled to be in Europe at some GPs on several occasions if only to listen to the issues expressed by the riders on the track. It will serve to get a more and more concrete and correct view of everything that needs to be improved on the bike."
Perhaps Taka will become the missing figure to find the right way forward for Honda.
"Yes, he will be a figure that has been missing. In today's MotoGP also, where the European manufacturers have taken the lead over the Japanese, Taka will be the figure that has been missing and will be very important for the future of Honda."
photocredit ©PierLuca Brunetti
