Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin has agreed to honour his Aprilia contract, which runs until the end of 2026. He’ll be back on the market in a year’s time, but for now the saga is at an end.
Aprilia always maintained that Martin would be riding their motorcycle next year. They have prevailed in their battle with the wantaway world champion and his manager, Albert Valera.
But it’s likely that, behind this veneer of certainty, they were making contingency plans. Massimo Rivola simply must have had some alternative riders in mind in case the partnership with Martin became completely untenable.
Aprilia were linked with Enea Bastianini, who sounded unhappy at Tech3 after his winter move from Ducati. With most of the field on two-year contracts, options were limited.
Ai Ogura ‘happy’ with Trackhouse after Aprilia links
One rider who appeared a natural candidate was Ai Ogura, a rookie at satellite team Trackhouse. The Moto2 champion enjoyed the best debut since Marc Marquez in 2013 when he finished fifth at Buriram, and he added three more top-10 finishes in his first six outings.
It emerged after the race at Le Mans that Martin had attempted to trigger his exit clause, at which point Ogura was sitting 10th in the championship. He was even ahead of factory star Marco Bezzecchi.
There was immediately talk that Ogura could replace Martin, so much so that Davide Brivio sent a message to Aprilia reminding them that his rider was under contract.
Speaking to The Race, Ogura explained why he always saw the story as laughable. He knew there was no chance he could leave Trackhouse, and that he wasn’t ready for a move of this magnitude.
He said: “It’s because it’s my first year, and I have a two-year contract with the Trackhouse team, I am happy with my team, and I knew that there are riders who for now are not really performing well but have the potential, like for example Enea or Maverick [Vinales] at the beginning of the season.
“So for me, if Aprilia looks at me, it’s… I don’t say it’s funny, but I don’t know how to say it. I was laughing because I knew that the first two, three races were not a real representation.”
Fermin Aldeguer’s praise for fellow MotoGP rookie Ai Ogura
When Ogura left France, he had 43 points on the board. Since then, he’s only scored eight, falling down to 16th place in the standings.
He missed four races (two Sprints, two Grands Prix) with injuries he sustained at Silverstone, and he hasn’t rediscovered his form since. Qualifying has been his undoing lately – he hasn’t started higher than 19th since he was declared fit.
The summer break comes at a good time, but overall, he can still be encouraged. Eugene Laverty said Ogura was ‘awesome’ at the start of the season, so the 24-year-old already knows how good he can be.
What’s more, Ogura surprised Fermin Aldeguer, his fellow rookie, by adapting so quickly. Aldeguer has been understandably inconsistent himself, which is why he’s the lowest-ranking Ducati by a considerable distance.
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