Somkiat Chantra rides alongside Aleix Espargaro in Assen and learns a lot from the veteran rider – Espargaro lets him pass but thinks Chantra is good enough for MotoGP
Around 50 seconds behind the leading group, a duel between two Honda riders took place in Assen, out of sight of the TV cameras. Aleix Espargaro stepped in for Luca Marini in the factory team, who is currently completing a private test in Brno.
Espargaro was joined by Somkiat Chantra, who is having a difficult rookie season with the LCR team. His best results so far have been two 16th places. The Thai rider is usually the slowest regular rider on the grid.
Riding with Espargaro was an educational experience for Chantra: “I was able to observe a lot – how he moves the MotoGP bike, also in conjunction with the Honda. It gave me an impression of how to ride a MotoGP bike.”
“Practice and qualifying are pretty difficult for me on a fast lap. But this time I was able to follow Aleix for five or six laps – I was constantly close to him. I learned a lot.“
”I really want to thank Aleix because without this opportunity to follow him, it would have been difficult for me to understand MotoGP. When I use my own braking point, it’s a completely different style.”
“When I was following him, I wondered why he was so fast in the corners. I tried to change my braking style, and that helped me a lot,” said Chantra. The 26-year-old finished 15th and scored his first World Championship point in the premier class.
This is also thanks to Espargaro’s help. “I let Somkiat pass me on the last lap,” admits the Spaniard. “He got a little nervous on the final section of the track and went wide in turn 12.”
“But I saw that he was in 15th place – and I’m happy for him that he scored his first point. Somkiat is going through a difficult phase in MotoGP at the moment. It’s an extremely tough class, and he doesn’t have an easy bike to start his career on.“
”I just hope he can improve. The first year in MotoGP is always very difficult for young riders coming from Moto2 – hopefully Somkiat can make progress soon.” So far, the Thai rider has been unable to close the gap to the midfield group.
Good enough for MotoGP? Espargaro defends Chantra
Is Chantra good enough for MotoGP? “Yes,” says Espargaro after riding with him. “I think Somkiat has proven in Moto2 that he can win races and fight for podium places. When are you good enough?“
”A year ago, everyone wanted to see Sergio Garcia in MotoGP – now he’s not even in the world championship. So it’s hard to judge when someone is ready. There are riders who are now achieving good MotoGP results, but who took a long time to get to the top.”
“There are phases in a career – I was also very slow once, not good enough before I came to MotoGP. And then I won races and fought for the world championship title. So it’s really hard to judge.”
“But I think Somkiat is in a difficult position – he’s not in a factory team, and then there’s the Honda. He’s still young and has little experience. It’s anything but easy.” Chantra has a German crew chief at his side in Klaus Nöhles.
The Thai rider also receives support from his predecessor Takaaki Nakagami. The Japanese rider was in the LCR pit in Assen, trying to give Chantra important tips based on his experience.
“He watched me on the track and also helped me analyze the data,” says Chantra. “He explained to me how to ride, where the differences in the data lie, why you have to take certain corners tighter, where you should lean more—things like that. That was pretty helpful.”
