Marco Bezzecchi
Few expected Ai Ogura to be a world-beater after achieving promotion from Moto2 to MotoGP ahead of the 2025 season.
The Japanese rider claimed the Moto2 title by 40 points and claimed three victories, which was enough to convince Trackhouse to sign him.
The American outfit had a dismal campaign last year and failed to finish any higher than sixth in a race, leading them to drop both of their riders.
Signing Ogura was a logical move, as even though he has never competed at the highest level, he is 24 years old and should be ready for the next step.
Trackhouse are saying Ogura can have a great year after the Buriram test, which shows just how much he has impressed during MotoGP’s pre-season.
It comes just days after Trackhouse admitted loving Ogura’s critical approach in Sepang, where he appears to have taken his new role very seriously.
High-ranking Aprilia staff have been ‘so impressed’ with Ai Ogura’s work ethic
Ogura was the eighth fastest of 21 riders at 5pm on the final day of pre-season testing in Buriram, in line with how he has performed recently.
If they can sustain that position, they will be delighted with the clear progress they have made over the winter. Ogura may be a clear upgrade as one of their riders too.
READ MORE: What rival teams are now saying about Ai Ogura after first MotoGP laps
Jack Appleyard told MotoGP’s Midday Live show that those within Aprilia (the bike Trackhouse operates) have been impressed with Ogura so far.
“He is straight to the point. He’s very calm about how he operates, not only with us but in the box as well,” he said. “All of the Aprilia personnel, even the real high-ranking Aprilia guys have been so impressed with his way of working throughout the couple of days of shakedown.
“They’ve seen it before when a rookie comes in with that adrenaline rush of being on a MotoGP bike for the first time. They’ll come and sit down in the box, and you can’t shut them up.”
Ai Ogura managed what no one else did at MotoGP’s Sepang shakedown
From day one, Ogura looked settled and at home on his new Aprilia bike. The Italian manufacturer has hopes of being the second-fastest team behind Ducati this season.
It’s unknown whether their winter development has paid dividends yet, but they may be in contention for the odd victory with some reliability luck.
There’s no reason why Trackhouse can’t be in the mix for them on the odd weekend too. Raul Fernandez should be further improved during his second season with them.
READ MORE: Miguel Oliveira just aimed one ‘brutal’ comment at Trackhouse Racing after latest MotoGP test
Ogura achieved what no one else managed at the Sepang shakedown before any bikes had been out for official testing yet.
He was invested right away and was the first rider to complete something that resembled a race simulation. Very handy experience for the rookie.
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