Progress and points for both Chantra and Rea on Sunday at Portimão
Autódromo Internacional do AlgarveA constructive, albeit challenging second WorldSBK round brings points for Honda HRC riders Chantra and Rea in Sunday’s Race 2.
The work continued today for Honda HRC riders Somkiat Chantra and Jonathan Rea, as the AIA Circuit in Portimão staged the final races of this second Superbike World Championship round.
At 11:10 local time, the riders lined up on rows six and seven of the grid, based on their qualifying results, for the morning’s ten-lap Tissot Superpole Race. Rea continued to use the race as a test bench for development, completing the sprint in eighteenth place. Rookie Chantra focused on maintaining a consistent pace but, following unintended contact with another rider, crashed on lap seven, putting a premature end to his race. The Thai rider was unhurt but, having been deemed responsible for the incident, received a long lap penalty for Race 2.
The second and final SBK race got underway at 15:30 local time, with Rea and Chantra starting from P18 and P19 respectively. As the race unfolded and a few falls occurred ahead, Rea reached the points zone by lap six before climbing to thirteenth by lap ten. Gaining one more position in the closing stages, the Honda HRC test rider crossed the line in twelfth place to score four championship points.
Completing his long lap penalty in the early stages, the Thai rider dropped to the back, slightly adrift of his closest rivals. With positions opening up ahead and his pace improving, Chantra worked his way up to sixteenth by mid-race. By lap thirteen, the rookie had moved into the points. Maintaining solid pace and avoiding mistakes in the closing stages, the factory rider crossed the line in fifteenth place to score his first championship point.
The Honda HRC team will now travel home and prepare for round 3, scheduled to take place at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands on 17-19 April.
“In all honesty, I consider this weekend a positive one because we’ve been able to gather a lot of data, which is my main role and focus right now. We managed quite a lot laps across the races and Superpole Race with different setups, so now it’s time to analyse everything and understand clearly the areas where we need to improve. I said to the guys “this is day one”. There’s a lot of work ahead and we’re not going to fix everything immediately, but it’s an exciting project and we’ve already been able to take some important steps in terms of direction. My role here is to help the team, give clear feedback and support development, and this weekend has been valuable in that respect. I also enjoyed being back on the grid. It felt quite natural when the lights went out and I could understand more about the bike, also in comparison with the other riders, which is important for us. Physically I’m not yet 100%, so that’s something I will keep working on, but overall it’s been a useful experience. Of course, we all missed having Jake on track, but it was good to have him in the garage, and I wish him all the best in his recovery. The priority is for him to come back as soon as possible. I want to thank Honda, HRC, all the sponsors and the team for the opportunity and for the warm welcome. The atmosphere in the garage is super positive, Chantra has also been very welcoming, and that makes the job easier as we continue to build and improve.”
“In all honesty, I consider this weekend a positive one because we’ve been able to gather a lot of data, which is my main role and focus right now. We managed quite a lot laps across the races and Superpole Race with different setups, so now it’s time to analyse everything and understand clearly the areas where we need to improve. I said to the guys “this is day one”. There’s a lot of work ahead and we’re not going to fix everything immediately, but it’s an exciting project and we’ve already been able to take some important steps in terms of direction. My role here is to help the team, give clear feedback and support development, and this weekend has been valuable in that respect. I also enjoyed being back on the grid. It felt quite natural when the lights went out and I could understand more about the bike, also in comparison with the other riders, which is important for us. Physically I’m not yet 100%, so that’s something I will keep working on, but overall it’s been a useful experience. Of course, we all missed having Jake on track, but it was good to have him in the garage, and I wish him all the best in his recovery. The priority is for him to come back as soon as possible. I want to thank Honda, HRC, all the sponsors and the team for the opportunity and for the warm welcome. The atmosphere in the garage is super positive, Chantra has also been very welcoming, and that makes the job easier as we continue to build and improve.”
“In the Superpole Race it was quite difficult for me because the wind was very strong and I made a mistake while trying to stay with the group immediately ahead of me, which led to contact with another rider, completely unintentional and I’m sorry for that. In Race 2, after serving the long lap penalty at the beginning, I dropped quite far back and had to try to recover step by step. I was able to catch Tommy (Bridewell) in the very last corners, just a fraction too late to try to pass him, and then Vierge passed me, but I was able to lap faster in the final laps and understand more about the bike, and that was important. Overall, I’m quite happy because I scored my first point in WorldSBK, a small positive for both me and the team. We are working together, trying to improve and build on what we learned this weekend. I know there is still a lot to do, but we will keep pushing and building our progress, and try to do better in the next race.”
“In the Superpole Race it was quite difficult for me because the wind was very strong and I made a mistake while trying to stay with the group immediately ahead of me, which led to contact with another rider, completely unintentional and I’m sorry for that. In Race 2, after serving the long lap penalty at the beginning, I dropped quite far back and had to try to recover step by step. I was able to catch Tommy (Bridewell) in the very last corners, just a fraction too late to try to pass him, and then Vierge passed me, but I was able to lap faster in the final laps and understand more about the bike, and that was important. Overall, I’m quite happy because I scored my first point in WorldSBK, a small positive for both me and the team. We are working together, trying to improve and build on what we learned this weekend. I know there is still a lot to do, but we will keep pushing and building our progress, and try to do better in the next race.”
