Marco Bezzecchi
Ai Ogura has been catching people’s attention in MotoGP already. The Moto2 champion is looking to make an impression in the premier class.
The Japanese rider will race with satellite Aprilia team Trackhouse in 2025. Ogura has had an extensive pre-season in Sepang and Buriram to prepare for his rookie MotoGP season.
Ogura;’s responsibility at Aprilia has been heightened by Jorge Martin’s absence. The Spaniard crashed on day one in Malaysia, ruling him out of the rest of pre-season testing.
Trackhosue teammate Raul Fernandez also suffered injuries in Sepang, sidelining him for the final two days. This left Aprilia with Marco Bezzecchi and Ogura to gather the data – both of which have little to no experience with the machinery.
Nevertheless, Ogura impressed rival teams with his Shakedown laps as he was the only rider to complete a race simulation during the outing.
Trackhouse are loving working with Ogura despite how self-critical he can be. His desire to find perfection has got the team excited for the season ahead.
Trackhouse think they can have a ‘great year’ after Ai Ogura’s impressive outing in Buriram
Trackhouse finished ninth in the standings in 2024 – only ahead of both Honda teams. Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira managed just 141 points between them.
Despite the setback in Sepang with Martin and Fernandez’s injuries, Aprilia have stepped up in Buriram. Bezzecchi set the fastest-ever lap for the Noale-based manufacturer on day two, while Ogura was just under four tenths behind.
The Japanese rider’s ‘impressive’ outing has given Trackhouse confidence about their 2025 prospects. Speaking on MotoGP’s Midday Live show, Jack Appleyard says people within the team think they can have a ‘great year’ with Ogura.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Ai Ogura from height to career stats
“Looking at the timesheets today, very, very impressive. Marco Bezzecchi has set the fastest ever Aprilia lap around this place, he’s only half a second away from the all-time lap record at a place that has been Aprilia’s kryptonite.
“Ai Ogura’s only two and a half, three tenths behind him on only his second day ever riding a MotoGP bike here. There’s some people within the Trackhouse Racing squad [that] are thinking that they could have a great year ahead of them, in particular at round one.
“It is a place that he loves but I don’t think it’s out of the question that we might see Ai Ogura automatically into Q2 in his debut Grand Prix. I think there’s a real chance that could happen”.
Should Raul Fernandez be worried about Ai Ogura’s performances?
Ogura’s impact at Trackhouse already will be a concern for teammate Fernandez, especially given his damaging start to the year.
The 2025 season is the first year the Spaniard will be on the factory Aprilia bike. But after Fernandez suffered one of the worst crashes of his career, his pre-season preparations have been compromised.
Fernandez cannot have a natural position on the bike due to the fractures in his left foot. It is the second season in a row that the 25-year-old’s pre-season has been affected by injury.
This was something he could not afford to do amid the pressure of needing to deliver results after a disappointing season last year. Massimo Rivola may already regret Oliveira’s departure after seeing Fernandez crash again in testing.
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