The 2026 season officially began with the first race weekend of the year at Chang International Circuit, Buriram.
The Honda Team Asia launched its new season project with a refreshed line-up and strong motivation.
The rookies Zen Mitani and Veda Ega Pratama arrived after an intense preseason program in order to be ready to face their first real test in Thailand.
On the opening day of the weekend all eyes were on the Indonesian Veda Ega Pratama, who impressed immediately by securing a direct place in Q2 after finishing P6 in FP1 and P8 in the afternoon session. Pratama showed natural speed and confidence, confirming his strong potential.
On the other side of the garage, the Japanese Zen Mitani struggled a bit more, ending the day in P26 after placing P24 in the morning.
The qualifying was quite impressive for Pratama who got the second row on the grid by securing P5, a great result for his debut race weekend.
Mitani got the 26th position on the grid after a difficult qualifying session.
The race was incredibile for Veda Pratama and the team: after an intense multi-rider battle for the podium, the Indonesian rider got an outstanding P5. The rookie showed great confidence throughout the entire weekend and confirmed it even in the race. He showed maturity and battled until the end for a podium position against more experienced riders.
In the end, he crossed the line fifth — an exceptional result for his world championship debut.
Zen Mitani finished P22 after a strong opening phase. Starting from P26, the Japanese rider made immediate progress, gaining positions before tyre degradation affected his pace in the latter stages.

Two weeks off before heading to the second round of the season: next stop Brazil!

MOTO3: VEDA EGA PRATAMA #9
Grid P5-Race 5

Today’s race was really amazing for me because it was my debut in the world championship and I think we did a really good job together with the team. I learned a lot from this race and that experience will be very important for the future. During the race I struggled a bit with the heat and also with managing the tyres, but I kept pushing and tried to catch the group fighting for the podium.

In the end finishing P5 is a really good result for my first race, so I’m very happy. I want to say thank you to all the team because they did a great job this weekend. We will keep working hard and continue improving for the next race.

MOTO3: ZEN MITANI #32
Grid P26- Race 22

The beginning was pretty good because I started from P26 and quickly moved up to around P16–P17. It was actually my best start of the year, so I’m happy about that. But after seven or eight laps I couldn’t manage the tyre anymore and once the grip dropped, I couldn’t push like before. I tried to follow the group ahead but it was impossible because I didn’t have enough pace at that point. Still, I learned a lot and I think we can be stronger in Brazil. When I saw the layout I liked the track, so I’m looking forward to it. Thank you to the team for working hard all weekend — even when I was last they kept supporting me. I hope we can do well in the next round.

HIROSHI AOYAMA – Team Manager

It was a very hot and demanding race today. Veda Pratama finished P5 after a brilliant performance. He spent most of the race in the second group fighting for the podium positions and had a very good battle with more experienced riders.

For Zen Mitani the race was a bit different, at the beginning he was strong and gained positions, showing very good pace. In the middle of the race, it wasn’t easy for him to maintain that pace, but overall, I’m very happy because both riders finished and gained important experience. At this stage that is very important for their development. Now we focus on the next race.

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