Overview
- Honda HRC confirmed Somkiat Chantra will miss the 20–22 February Phillip Island opener following early-January arm surgery after a Sepang crash.
- Official test rider Tetsuta Nagashima will race in Australia alongside full-time rider Jake Dixon.
- British Superbike rider Ryan Vickers has been granted a factory wildcard entry for the season-opening round.
- Chantra visited Bangkok Hospital on 28 January, had his casts removed, and received a positive assessment, yet he was not cleared to compete.
- Chantra’s earliest expected debut is the Portimão round on 27–29 March, with Nagashima’s heavy January mileage noted as a factor in his selection.