Balaton Park Circuit
Chantra improves pace in Race 2 as Kunii gains valuable WorldSBK experience at Balaton
Honda HRC riders Chantra and Kunii round out WorldSBK round four at Balaton Park with a P15 and P16 finish in Sunday’s Race 2.
The Honda HRC team has now completed the fourth Superbike World Championship round, placing fifteenth and sixteenth in Sunday’s final race at Hungary’s Balaton Park with Somkiat Chantra and substitute rider Yuki Kunii.
The warm weather continued today, making for an uninterrupted race day. On track this morning for the Superpole race, Chantra and Kunii lined up on row seven and eight of the grid respectively. The race began on time but an incident on lap one involving Oliviera brought the race to an immediate halt with a red flag. Restarted a short time later, the race was reduced to a distance of just 8 laps.
Chantra and Kunii maintained their starting positions through the initial stages, lapping with half a second of each other for the first few laps. The gaps opened up a little from mid-race on, but both the Thai and Japanese rider maintained their pace, each focused on their own performance. While Chantra gained one position to finish nineteenth, teammate Kunii held twenty-first all the way to the line.
The weekend’s second and final 21-lap race ran mid-afternoon in dry, sunny conditions. Chantra and Kunii both gained two positions in the early stages following mistakes for riders up ahead. Establishing a consistent rhythm, the pair continued to work hard and stay out of trouble, in light of further incidents involving other riders. Somkiat consistently improved his pace, setting his best lap of the weekend on the penultimate lap after moving into the points zone on lap seven. Holding fifteenth for the remainder of the race, Chantra completed the race to score one championship point. Replacement rider Yuki did his best to keep his teammate within sight, eventually crossing the line in P16.
Somkiat Chantra 35 Honda HRC
“Today we had both the Superpole Race and Race 2. In the Superpole Race, we made some changes to the bike and electronics, and the feeling was a bit better. My pace was more consistent, so that was a positive step. The race itself was not bad, but I was a bit unlucky at the start, stuck behind other riders, and it was difficult to overtake, especially through the opening corners. In Race 2, we struggled more in the early laps because I had some rear spinning but during the race I was able to improve my pace. I focused on being more consistent and was able to set my best lap of the weekend. Overall, there are some small positives, like finishing in the points today. I want to thank the team for their hard work. We know we are still not where we want to be, so we will keep working hard and pushing step by step to move closer to the front.”
Yuki Kunii 92 Honda HRC
“Today was another new experience for me, especially with the Superpole Race, which was very short and intense. With the red flag and the restarted race run over just eight laps, it was quite crazy. I did my best, but I wasn’t feeling completely comfortable on the bike and made a few mistakes. We had tried a small setup change, but for Race 2 we decided to go back with the setting, and the feeling improved. From start to finish, I was able to push a bit more compared to yesterday and, overall, I’m happy with the weekend. Being part of a full factory team like Honda HRC has been an amazing experience. At the same time, it reminded me how high the level of this championship is, and how much I still need to improve, especially in managing the bike over race distance. I want to thank Honda HRC and team for the opportunity."
