Eugene Laverty was impressed by one ‘incredible’ trait Ai Ogura showed during his maiden MotoGP race

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Ai Ogura was the biggest surprise of MotoGP’s season-opening Thailand Grand Prix after a calm and collected performance.

The Trackhouse Racing rider sits fifth in the standings after he spent the weekend on the tail of a factory Ducati bike.

Ogura was glued to the back of Francesco Bagnaia for much of the Grand Prix of Thailand and was prepared to pounce on any mistakes.

The upcoming Argentina Grand Prix is a chance for him to prove that his rookie MotoGP showing was more than just a one-off.

Marc Marquez told Ogura he was ‘very good’ and was impressed by the Japanese rider’s performance. It’s high praise coming from a six-time champion.

Ogura still can’t manage one important issue and has struggled to tackle the language barrier since graduating to the premier class, but that hurdle should get easier with time.

READ MORE: Davide Brivio told Ai Ogura two words after his MotoGP debut at the Thai Grand Prix

Ai Ogura showed signs of an ‘incredible’ trait during first MotoGP race

He isn’t expected to be at the front every weekend, and prior testing at Buriram may have helped him acclimatise to the circuit after pre-season testing.

The 24-year-old won’t have that advantage in Argentina. He has never had to ride a MotoGP bike on the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo.

Eugene Laverty was impressed by how much Ogura looked like an experienced rider during his first race. If he can contain that level of calm, he will have a very successful season.

“Ai Ogura was awesome. I knew he was good, but I didn’t think he was that b—– good because there aren’t many guys that can come in and keep a cool head like that,” he said.

“Even when Johann Zarco came to Qatar, and amazed us all by leading the race, but then true to rookie form, he threw it up the road. Whereas Ai Ogura just did his thing. Not just in one race where you can get away with it, but he did it twice.

“That’s not easy to do because if he had thrown it up the road then somebody would’ve still said ‘Wow, what a performance.’ So to bring it to the finish line like a seasoned campaigner was incredible.”

READ MORE: High-ranking Aprilia staff have been ‘so impressed’ with what Ai Ogura has done in MotoGP testing

How Ai Ogura broke a Trackhouse Racing record on his MotoGP debut

The Trackhouse Racing team is a relatively new entity and are currently competing in just their second MotoGP campaign.

Their best result in 2024 was sixth, secured by both Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira on separate occasions.

The Aprilia bike they are running has undoubtedly improved over the winter and may be the second-fastest bike.

It’s music to the ears of reigning champion Jorge Martin, who rides for their factory team and is yet to race following a nasty testing shunt.

Consequently, it enhances the importance for Ogura to take advantage of the performance of the bike while they have an edge over their rivals. Maybe a podium could be possible?