Vroom vroom therapy and Thailand’s ongoing love affair with motorsports
Thaiger’s satirical cultural commentary volume 10: From a grand prix in Buriram to scooter dodging on Sukhumvit
Imagine you’re in an expat bar in Thailand, and on the TV they show a news report for Thailand having the F1 race in Bangkok 2028. After hearing this, you might wonder to yourself or aloud, “Thailand likes racing?!” Oh, little do you know.
Let’s get one thing straight: Thailand LOVES racing and motorsports. For those who think motorsports is only a Western thing, with a little bit of Japan doing a Tokyo drift, in Thailand, the love for motorsports isn’t just about the racing; it’s a way to live in this country.
Word of the day: escape. Escape from traffic, from responsibilities, from the existential horror of a 9-to-5 job where your cubicle has no windows and the coffee tastes like burnt leather.
Some people collect stamps while others collect body kits, spoilers, and unpaid traffic tickets. Yes, the Car culture in Thailand is similar to the temple culture. Spiritual, generational, and inexplicably expensive. Every building in this country has at least one guy named P’Nut who hasn’t updated his insurance since 2006 but can tell you the RPM limit of a Civic Type R from memory
Cars aren’t just cars. Motorcycles aren’t just bikes. They’re armour for navigating a society where no one uses turn signals and everyone thinks they’re starring in the 23rd Fast & Furious movie called TukTuk Crazy.
Some of you know the truth, because you used Grab or if you’re living on the edge, Bolt. For those of you only sticking to the yellow cabs. You haven’t lived in Thailand until you’ve ridden three deep on a Honda Wave through monsoon traffic, holding a bag of soup and wondering if you’re about to take a shortcut to see God himself.
Or maybe you get in a tricked-out RX8 with extravagant anime toys on the dash, going so fast down the highway you think you’re playing Satan’s Roulette wheel.
The rise of Buriram & international events
Here’s a little race history (the car kind, not the American kind). Thailand’s motorsport renaissance kicked off when the Chang International Circuit, also known as Buriram International Circuit, opened in October 2014. It was Thailand’s first track to earn FIA Grade 1 and FIM Grade A certification, all thanks to Thai politician Newin Chidchob’s ambition and designer Hermann Tilke’s blueprint.
Since its debut hosting the Japanese Super GT series, Buriram has hosted World Superbike (from 2015), WTCC in 2015, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, TCR Asia, Asian Le Mans, and more
MotoGP landed in Buriram in 2018, drawing 220,000 fans over three days, and was named “Best GP of 2018” by the paddock. This year, MotoGP will kick off the 2025 and 2026 seasons in Thailand, because nothing says global relevance like being first in the lineup
Thai heroes & local series
Thailand isn’t just importing engines, it’s producing drivers for motorsports. Alex Albon, a half-British and half-Thai Formula 1 driver who races under the Thai flag, was a former Red Bull junior who is now the frontrunner for the Williams team after a one-year hiatus in a test driver stint.
Somkiat Chantra, nicknamed “Kong,” became Thailand’s first MotoGP rider at the 2025 season opener in Buriram’s history.
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, meanwhile, stunned the world by winning a Formula 3 Sprint Race at Silverstone, proving Thai speed has an international pedigree, not just local racing.
At home, grassroots racing thrives in the Thailand Super Series, the country’s primary circuit racing championship, featuring local circuits and an emerging fan base
Street dreams & irrational subcultures
Then there’s the underground: Bangkok’s Conjo racing, inspired by Japanese Kanjozoku, sees modified Hondas drifting through expressways at midnight. These are lawless adrenaline marathons held under neon streetlights. Tickets are built on camber and cheap ambition
Classic JDM cars are worshipped in hidden garages. Enthusiasts like “Beer,” as mentioned in this article from JC Whitney, invest in vintage imports, community meetups, and nostalgia. You’ll see them on the streets and you’ll notice it’s not just about horsepower, but also how loud one can be under a bridge at 1 am!
The future: Does Bangkok get F1?
Rumour control says Thailand may launch an F1 street race in Bangkok by 2028. The government has already set aside US$1.2 billion (over 39 billion Thai baht) for the bid, making it possibly the most expensive Grand Prix ever.
If it happens, expect gridlock, glamour, and a whole new meaning to traffic jam.
Final lap: You don’t have to understand it, you just have to vibe with it
Don’t let the slow walking on the sidewalk by the locals fool you. Thailand loves speed. From a grand prix in Buriram to scooter dodging on Sukhumvit. From Formula rookie dreams to midnight street racing fantasies. Motorsport and anything with a motor have a place in the hearts of Thai people.
You’ll see it while stuck in traffic. As a local zooms by on a modded bike while you’re stuck at a green light.
You’ll see it in the random shop house with a gearhead fixing his whole crew’s cars.
You, of course, see it at 2am with a tuk-tuk that has giant club lights and subwoofers busting a wheelie with five drunk westerners in the back cheering.
Here in the land of smiles, exhausting your clutch might just remind you you’re alive.
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I met a guy who travelled on a very big motorcycle from west to east northern Thailand and going to ride back almost non stop…..Girls on very big bikes in crowded markets and generally after work transit home
I was taken by someone i trusted to an orthodontist in a thai area in bangkok…she was thai trained and extracted a tooth with no nurse present ..during the visit she said to me “Thai’s are competitive”…..I thought quickly unsure why she said that and replied “the difference between Australia and Thailand is both religion and culture”….after she had finished I asked to pay by Visa card… she said No…….I went to the ATM and came back