Martin, Bagnaia and Marquez lead pre-race activities as MotoGP arrives in Thailand

PT Grand Prix of Thailand 2024, MotoGP's 18th round, prepared to welcome leading riders including Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo. Home favourite Somkiat Chantra also targeted success in front of Thai fans at Chang International Circuit.

PT Grand Prix of Thailand 2024 was scheduled for 25–27 October amid a close championship contest. Prima Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin arrived with a 20-point lead over Ducati Lenovo's reigning two-time champion Francesco Bagnaia.

Riders and teams arrived to prepare for race weekend and inspect the track. The announcement noted 5-centimetre-high Misano-style kerbs at the exits of Turns 1, 4 and 8.

Jorge Martin, Francesco Bagnaia and Gresini Racing's eight-time world champion Marc Marquez joined the pre-race press conference. All three described Chang International Circuit as a challenging track capable of producing another close contest.

Championship leader Jorge Martin said he was pleased with his position after the rounds in Indonesia, Japan and Australia and hoped to win in Thailand. However, he expected a difficult weekend because of the heat and the strength of Bagnaia and Marquez at the circuit.

Bagnaia said Buriram's layout suited him and offered an opportunity to build momentum. Although he had reached the podium at Phillip Island, managing his worn tyres had been difficult. After an inconsistent season, he hoped a circuit he enjoyed would produce a strong weekend.

Marquez, who had previously celebrated a world title in Thailand, expected Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin to push hard for victory. His priority at Gresini was to maintain the progress shown at the previous round and continue challenging for podiums in Thailand.

Idemitsu Honda Team Asia's Somkiat Chantra returned for his home race after missing two rounds. MotoGP's medical team cleared him to ride, subject to another assessment after Friday's first practice. Thailand was also represented in Moto3 by Thatchakorn Buasri.

Somkiat Chantra said he was looking forward to his home race at Chang International Circuit. An injury sustained in Indonesia had forced him to miss the preceding rounds in Japan and Australia, but he was working hard on his recovery and hoped to deliver a special performance with the support of Thai fans.

PT Grand Prix of Thailand 2024 began practice on Friday, 25 October. Qualifying followed on Saturday morning, 26 October, with the Sprint that afternoon. Sunday's published programme on 27 October listed Moto3 at 13:15, Moto2 at 14:05 and MotoGP at 15:00.