After achieving its goal of having a Thai rider in the MotoGP, Thai Honda has vowed to build on that success and continue their support for local motorsport talent this year.
Thai Honda, a motorcycle manufacturer and distributor, laid its three important plans this year, including the Honda Race to the Dream, the Honda Race to the Champion and the HRT Junior Talent Programme during their 2025 project launch at the Sports Authority of Thailand on Friday.
"Motorsport in the past year was full of excitement and challenge. We achieved our long-term goal that we announced many years ago to take a Thai racer to the MotoGP. But all of this is just the beginning," said Thai Honda president Yuichi Shimizu.
"What needs to be done next is to continually develop a new generation of talented riders, with a new training programme that is more intense than before to continue to fully build on their success."
The Honda Race to the Dream project is created to support Somkiat Chantra, who will make his debut in the MotoGP this year.
The 26-year-old signed a two-year contract with Idemitsu Honda LCR last August to become the first Thai rider in the sport's premier class.
Somkiat is set to make his MotoGP debut in the season-opening Grand Prix of Thailand next month at the Chang International Circuit in Buri Ram.
Somkiat will race with his new Honda RC213V, using No.35, alongside veteran French rider Johann Zarco for Honda LCR.
Another Thai rider Tatchakorn Buasri will have his second season in the Moto3 world championship with Honda Team Asia, with the aim of making the top 15 this year.
The Honda Race to the Champion project will be spearheaded by Nakarin Atiratphuvapat, who will lead a group of rising stars in the Asia Road Racing Championship 2025 while the HRT Junior Talent Programme will focus on developing a new generation of riders who have potential to become world-class racers.
