It is a Tuesday of big announcements in WorldSBK. After that of Oliveira in BMW, it was now Honda's turn to announce its riders for next year. The news had been circulating and now it is official: in 2026 we will see in WorldSBK with the Japanese manufacturer's CBR, Somkiat Chantra and Jake Dixon, called to pick up the baton left by Vierge and Lecuona.
Below is the press release.
The Honda HRC outfit will have a brand new rider pairing for the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as Somkiat Chantra and Jake Dixon move over from the MotoGP paddock to compete on the CBR1000RR-R machine next season. The pair will mark a new start for Honda after the Japanese brand competed with Spanish duo Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge for four seasons, with Chantra making a bit of history: he will become the first Thai rider to race full-time in WorldSBK.
CHANTRA’S PATH TO WORLD SUPERBIKE: Asia Talent Cup winner, victorious in Moto2
Thai star Chantra first made a name for himself in the Asia Talent Cup, claiming his first victory in 2015 at Buriram before going on to win the 2016 title with three wins and two more podiums. For 2017 and 2018, the 26-year-old moved to what was then the Moto3 Junior World Championship, finishing ninth in his second campaign and also making his Moto3 World Championship debut in the same year; finishing ninth in his one race that season.
In 2019, Chantra moved into Moto2 with the Idemitsu Honda Team Asia squad, where he stayed for his six seasons in the intermediate class. He claimed two victories and six podiums during his time in Moto2, culminating in a best Championship finish of P6. He secured a seat in MotoGP for 2025 but an injury-hit debut campaign has left him down the pecking order with just two points to his name after the Japanese Grand Prix in the 12 races he has competed in.
DIXON JOINS THE HONDA RANKS: back to production-based machinery for the 2018 British Superbike runner-up
Dixon’s path to WorldSBK started with success in British Superbike, first in the Supersport class and then the Superbike category. He finished third in British Supersport in 2015 before moving to the top category in 2016. His first rostrum came in 2017, when racing on the Kawasaki machine, at Thruxton and he finished that season in sixth place in the standings. He went four places better in 2018 as he finished as runner-up with three victories and 13 podiums as he was defeated by Leon Haslam.
In 2019, he moved to Moto2 and adapted to prototype machinery with the Angel Nieto Team, picking up seven points in his rookie campaign. A move to Petronas Sprinta Racing followed in 2020 and 2021, while he also got a taste of MotoGP machinery with two races on the Yamaha M1. He was still without podiums in Moto2, however, and moved to the GasGas Aspar Team and the Kalex chassis, with the 29-year-old gelling with the bike and fighting for consistent podiums. Six rostrums came in 2022 before five more in 2023 and 2024, including two wins in each season. This season, the Brit moved to the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team and their Boscoscuro chassis, with Dixon currently on two wins and five podiums after the Japanese Grand Prix.
FROM HONDA: “Their talent, experience, and racing spirit will be valuable assets as we continue to strengthen our position in the series”
Taichi Honda, HRC General Manager, said: “We are pleased to welcome Somkiat Chantra and Jake Dixon as factory riders of the Honda HRC WorldSBK Team from 2026. Chantra, the first Thai rider ever to win in Moto2 and to race in MotoGP, now takes an important new step within the Honda family, extending his career at the international top level as the first Thai rider to compete full-time in the Superbike World Championship as a factory rider. Dixon, a multiple Moto2 Grand Prix winner, has consistently demonstrated the speed and determination required to succeed in a championship as competitive as WorldSBK. Together, their talent, experience, and racing spirit will be valuable assets as we continue to strengthen our position in the series. We remain fully committed to the WorldSBK project, with a clear goal – to bring Honda back to the top of the Championship.”