Rising Thai Star Chantra Faces Uphill MotoGP Battle Amid Concerns and Politics

MotoGP's latest sensation faced failure due to "political maneuvering"

"When was it last observed that a rider advanced to MotoGP with such an unremarkable record?"

It has been implied that Somkiat Chantra may not be prepared for his transition to MotoGP in 2025.

Chantra is set to make history as the first Thai rider to join MotoGP, stepping up to the LCR Honda team in the upcoming season.

Nevertheless, certain issues have already been identified.

"Neil Hodgson from TNT Sports confessed to having ambivalent emotions."

"It's fantastic for the competition. Truly remarkable. Everyone appreciates him; he's quite the personality and really brings something new and revitalizing.

"The downsides? He ranks tenth in the overall standings and has secured two wins during his time in Moto2."

"Throughout my time observing him, I've never considered him to appear or possess the skills of a MotoGP rider."

"I'm struggling to recall the last instance where someone with such a mediocre record was elevated to MotoGP.

Fabio di Giannantonio ranked among the top five riders in Moto2. While Luca Marini's performance wasn't outstanding, he significantly outperformed Chantra.

"I'm concerned that he'll enter MotoGP aligned with the least successful team, bringing a poor track record with him."

"He's put in a position where failure seems inevitable. Imagine a scenario where 21 racers are within a one-second gap, and he's trailing by an additional second. That scenario could very well be his reality. Such an outcome benefits no one."

Next year, Chantra is set to take over from the veteran Honda racer Takaaki Nakagami, who is transitioning to a test rider role for the Japanese brand.

However, Honda's troubles have become even more evident this season following the departure of Marc Marquez.

Luca Marini, the new addition to Repsol Honda, managed to earn his initial point in the season during the ninth race, which came about as a result of penalties for incorrect tyre pressure handed down to three competitors.

Chantra's transition to LCR Honda occurred following Ai Ogura's unexpected shift from Moto2 to a MotoGP position with Trackhouse Aprilia, despite Ogura being the favored candidate for the LCR Honda spot.

Michael Laverty analyzed it for TNT Sports, stating, "Ai Ogura was a certain choice. However, he received a chance to be part of Trackhouse.

"Chantra represents an opportunity for global mobility in numerous aspects. The Japanese oil conglomerate, Idemitsu, is seeking a racer from Asia."

"Chantra has been associated with their Moto2 squad, yet his performance statistics don't support his involvement."

If we were to strongly support Jake Dixon, many would criticize us, claiming he's only there because of his nationality, yet he's actually in a far better situation than Chantra.

"It's a tough situation. He's facing an uphill battle. While he has the skills, he's not quite prepared for a MotoGP transition, yet the political dynamics are hard to ignore."

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