The World Motorcycle Championship or MotoGP, Round 17, under the name “OR Thailand Grand Prix 2023” at Chang International Circuit, Buriram Province.
In the Moto2 class, which Thai fans followed and cheered on, it appeared that “Kong” Somkiat Chantra, a top Thai rider from Idemitsu Honda Team Asia, started from 5th on the grid, rising to 3rd place in the period. At the beginning of the race, before maintaining his position, he finished in third place, behind the winner, Fermin Aldeguer, a Spanish rider from Beta Tool, speeding up 9.794 seconds, while second place belonged to Pedro Acosta, Spanish rider from Red Bull KTM Ayo,
resulted in “Kong” Somkiat unlocking the podium in his hometown in a big way for the first time. Ready to set a record for being the first Thai rider in history to reach the podium in “Home Grand Prix” was successful, with the owner of number 35 ranked 5th in the accumulated points table in the Moto2 class, with a total of 143.5 points.
After the competition ended, Kong Somkiat revealed his feelings that he was very happy because he got to the podium. And it’s a competition at home as well. However, admit that Before the race, there were some problems with the car’s tuning settings, especially the front wheels that had problems. But it’s still good that it can be fixed.
As for the MotoGP class, there is an important period in the world championship fight between Francesco Bagnagna, the Italian leader from Ducati Lenovo, the latest world champion team, and Jorge Martin. The Spanish rider from Prima Pramac Racing
showed that this race had a lot of twists and turns throughout the 26 laps, with Martin able to win in a time of 39 minutes, 40.045 seconds, beating Banyaya at He finished in third place but was promoted to second place, 0.253 seconds behind Brad Binder, a South African rider from the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team. Missed stepping on the limit track in the final round, while Marc Marquez, 8-time world champion from Repsol Honda, followed the sign in 7th place.
Through this field, Banyaya is still at the top of the points table with a total of 389 points, being chased by Martin with only 13 points remaining, while there are 3 remaining fields this year.
The results of the Moto3 competition must be measured until the final turn. It appears that the victory went to David Alonso, a young Colombian rider from Gasgas Aspar Team, with a time of 32 minutes, 45.307 seconds, edging out second place Taiyo Furusato, a Japanese rider from Honda Team Asia, by just 0.266. only seconds
As for the rising Thai rider who competed as a wild card in the Moto3 World Championship, it appears that “Idea” Krittapat Khueankham from Yamaha Thailand Racing – BoA entered the race. Ranked 27th, followed by “Gong” Thachakorn Buasri from Honda Team Asia in rank 28th.
Dr. Kongsak Yodmanee, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand In summarizing the competition, thanking all partners for making OR Thailand Grand Prix 2023 a success, the number of spectators will reach 180,000 people, approximately 1,000 more than last year, including 11 more foreigners. Percentage has the highest economic value in history at 4,500 million baht, adding another 445 million baht, making it now Thai GP. It is the biggest festival in Thailand today.
The next race for MotoGP 2023 will take place from 10-12 November 2023 at Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia, in the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Source: Thai News Agency
