Ai Ogura (Aprilia) ahead of his home GP: “Expectations are high!”

At Spielberg, Ai Ogura made a strong comeback with two fourth-place finishes. As a reminder, the Trackhouse-Aprilia rider had to miss the Grands Prix at Aragon and Misano due to a fracture in his left thumb – he had sustained the injury whilst training for motocross back home in Japan.

The last Japanese rider to finish on the podium in the MotoGP class was Makoto Tamada at Motegi 21 years ago. In 2005, Ogura was just four years old. Given his form this season – is the pressure to deliver top results at his home races particularly high this year? “Definitely more than last year,” confirmed the 25-year-old at the opening press conference on Thursday. “We’ve shown good pace this season. It’s a shame I got injured before the Aragon GP and had to miss two races as a result. In Austria, I was quick again straight away – I finished fourth in both races. Now my home Grand Prix is coming up. I think we’re in good shape. Expectations are high.”

Ai Ogura: “People are excited about the Japanese riders and motorbikes”

In 2022, Ogura won the Moto2 race at Motegi; in 2023 and 2024, he finished second on both occasions. Last year, Ogura finished ninth in the MotoGP Sprint race. He had to sit out the Grand Prix. The reason: he had previously injured his right hand in a crash at Misano. The pain worsened in Japan, so it was decided that he would not compete in Sunday’s main race. Could he achieve in MotoGP this year what he previously achieved in the Moto2 World Championship at Motegi? “I don’t know. But that’s the aim,” Ogura said succinctly.

Ahead of the race weekend, Ogura had a busy schedule to get through this week. On Wednesday, for instance, he was one of the ‘special guests’ at the Fan Fest in Tokyo. Is he recognised more often on the streets of his home country because of his successes and, above all, his MotoGP victory at Assen this year? Has the hype surrounding him grown in Japan? “To be honest, I don’t notice any difference,” Ogura smiled. “But what I saw at the event yesterday is that people are really delighted with the Japanese riders and motorbikes. It’s lovely to see that. Enthusiasm for motorbike racing is still growing in Japan.”

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02.10.2026 - 01:55