Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) has announced that Somkiat Chantra will join Jake Dixon at the Honda HRC factory team for the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship season.
Both riders are proven Moto2 race winners with extensive world championship experience. Somkiat’s representation of Asian motorsport and Dixon’s European racing heritage combine to form a talented international line-up with the speed and ambition to challenge at the sharp end of WorldSBK.
Somkiat, 26, currently competes in the MotoGP World Championship with Idemitsu Honda LCR, having stepped up to the premier class in 2025.
A graduate of the Asia Talent Cup, which he won in 2016, Somkiat progressed through the FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship before joining Moto2 with Idemitsu Honda Team Asia in 2019. He made history as the first Thai rider to win in Moto2 with victories at the Indonesian GP — Mandalika (2022) and the Japanese GP — Motegi (2023).
Dixon, 29, currently competes in the Moto2 World Championship with the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team. Runner-up in the 2018 British Superbike Championship, Dixon has established himself among the leading Moto2 riders with six Grand Prix victories.
“We are pleased to welcome Somkiat Chantra and Jake Dixon as factory riders for the Honda HRC WorldSBK Team from 2026. Somkiat, 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,” said Taichi Honda, HRC general manager.
“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,” he added.