Somkiat Chantra is one of three rookies in this year’s MotoGP season, but his year was off to a delayed start at the S🎃epang MotoGP Shakedown te📖st this weekend.

The Thai rider didn’t ride at all on the first day of the three-day te🌳st, only emerging on days two and three.

“We had three days to test, and I worked only two days to test because the team was p💟reparing the bike ready for testing two days,” Chantra said.

He explained that missing the first day was down to the two new, 2025-spec🐟 Honda RC213Vs he had available to him tꦆhis weekend.

“My bike was [all] new compared to Bar💎celona, and so I have two b𝄹ikes that are new,” he said.

“Now, my team wants me to work 🌊with the 2025 bike and see how it’s going compared to 2024.”

When Chantra didꦦ get going, his pace was slower than that of t🦄he other two rookies this year – Ai Ogura and Fermin Aldeguer – but it did improve from one day to the next.

“The first day like always I try to go to check the bike and also try to know electronics, try to 🐟l🎶earn the electronics with the bike,” he said.

“I tried to use the device really in the good places because when I compared with Taka [Takaaki Nakagami] on las🍷t year there were also some🐠 points where I was slower than him to put the rear device. Now we are going in a good direction.”

Nakagami, who after retirement from racing has become an official HRC test rider, has been a resource for Chantra in these three da💫ys, riding with the Japanese an🎃d also studying his data.

“For me, [on Saturday] I w🍸as out with Taka,” he said.

“Taka said ‘You’re riding easy,’ and I just enjoyed first because now൩ is the moment to start with the bike and also get the feeling with the bik🀅e.

“[He] still didn’t tell me anything yesterday, in the💜 official test they will come to me.”

Fermin Aldeguer had said after the Shakedown tha💖t the biggest a🌳daptation to MotoGP for him was the braking. For Chantra it was his, but also the speed, the tyres, and the lean angle.

“For me, t🧸he most difficult thing first is the speed,” he said, “and also the point to stop the bike. Because now, changing to carbon brakes, for me the point is different than Moto2, and also the speed to go into the corner is different🀅 to Moto2.”

He added: “When I used Michelin the first time, then when we come here, for me they give us a different [feeling] than M🌜oto2, a lot.

“And also with lean angle I feel like I never stop [leaning], but when I compare with Taka it’s still far [from his] lean angle. But my team always says ‘Sure this will come soon, you need to learn step-by-ste🎃p’.”

Chantra was one of the ꦚmost active riders on the third and final day of the test, reinforcing the physical work the Thai rider needs to do to be ready for the season.

“For me, yes, quite destroyed, but I know,” Chantra said of his condition at the co🎐nclusion 🦩of the test.

“When I jumped to Moto2 for the first time, m🦩y body was destroyed like🐎 this, and after that my body adapted with the bike and it [was] okay.”