Somkiat frustrated despite top-10 finish in opening race of Moto2 season
Thai motorcycle racer Somkiat Chantra scored a top-10 finish in the opening race of the 2023 Moto2 World Championship at Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, Portugal on Sunday.
Title-favourite Pedro Acosta of Spain took the chequered flag on a dry track at the Portuguese Grand Prix, with compatriot Arón Canet in second and Italy’s Tony Arbolino third.
Somkiat made up ground after starting 13th on the grid, steering his Honda machine up to ninth at the finish line, 13.941 seconds behind the winner. The 24-year-old, who became the first Thai to win a world championship race with victory in Indonesia a year ago, bagged 7 points to get his campaign underway.
Sunday’s race was considered a good start to the season for Somkiat, who graduated from the “Honda Race to the Dream” campaign to select the next generation of Thai riders for the international stage.
However, the Thai ace was disappointed with the result.
“I made a good start, being in the first group during the first laps, but today it was difficult for me to follow my rivals. In any case I’m happy to score points in Portimao for the first time. P9 isn’t the start of the season I wanted, but these are important points,” he told Honda Racing website after the race.
The next race of the 2023 Moto2 series takes place on Monday (April 3) at the Autodromo Termas De Rio Hondo Circuit in Argentina, where Somkiat finished second in last year’s campaign.
