Another setback for Ai Ogura: has the World Championship dream now been dashed?

The next instalment in the 2026 MotoGP title race will also take place without Ai Ogura. Trackhouse announced on Wednesday evening that the Japanese rider will also be unable to compete at the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix. This means the 25-year-old will miss his second consecutive race weekend following Aragon.

The reason remains the injury to his left thumb, which Ogura sustained during a motocross training session in Japan. Upon his return to Europe, he was diagnosed with a fracture, for which he underwent surgery in Barcelona on 27 August.

Ogura had actually hoped to be back on his Aprilia RS-GP as early as Misano. However, a medical examination on Tuesday evening in Barcelona did not yield the hoped-for result. The injured thumb has not yet healed sufficiently to withstand the demands of a MotoGP weekend. Ogura will therefore remain in Barcelona and focus on his rehabilitation. His next target is to make his comeback at the Austrian Grand Prix a week later.

From World Championship runner-up to spectator

For Ogura, the injury could hardly have come at a worse time in the battle for the World Championship. Just a few weeks ago, the Trackhouse rider was one of the season’s big surprises and among the most promising title contenders.

Ai Ogura

Foto: Gold and Goose

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11.09.2026 - 08:55

After the Sachsenring, Ogura went into the summer break in second place in the World Championship – just 14 points behind Aprilia factory rider Jorge Martin. The 2024 Moto2 World Champion had finally established himself among the world’s elite in his second MotoGP season. The highlight was his first MotoGP victory at Assen. In doing so, Ogura also secured the first Japanese triumph in the premier class since Makoto Tamada in 2004.

But after the summer break, the tide began to turn. At Silverstone, Ogura initially underlined his pace once more by finishing second in the Sprint, but then crashed in the Grand Prix and dropped crucial points. Even more serious was the hand injury. At Aragon, Ogura was forced to sit out the race entirely for the first time. Whilst his rivals continued to score points, he fell further behind in the World Championship standings.

Currently 53 points adrift – too far behind after Misano?

Ahead of the Misano weekend, Ogura is down to fifth in the World Championship standings with 203 points. Leader Jorge Martin has racked up 256 points so far. In between are Marc Márquez on 237, Marco Bezzecchi on 232 and Fabio Di Giannantonio on 208 points.

The Japanese rider’s deficit now stands at 53 points. And whilst his four direct rivals can once again pick up to 37 points for the Sprint and Grand Prix at Misano, Ogura will have to watch from the sidelines.

Mathematically speaking, the World Championship dream is by no means over yet. However, given the close competition at the top and the fact that this is the second consecutive race weekend he has missed, Ogura’s title hopes have suffered yet another massive setback. It is particularly bitter: just a few weeks ago, a major upset seemed a realistic prospect. Ogura had established himself as a serious World Championship contender through consistent performances and was at times even ahead of the established Aprilia and Ducati stars.

Now, of all things, an injury threatens to bring the Japanese rider’s surprise title challenge to a premature end.

Trackhouse to field only Raul Fernandez

Trackhouse will field only Raul Fernandez at Misano. Unlike at Aragon, when Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori stepped in as a replacement for Ogura, the US team has not nominated a replacement rider for the coming weekend.

Fernandez lies seventh in the World Championship standings with 186 points, just 17 points behind his injured team-mate. Meanwhile, every day counts for Ogura. If he manages to make a comeback as early as a week later, he could at least try to limit the damage at the Austrian Grand Prix. But even then, a difficult task lies ahead: having missed two full MotoGP weekends, the Japanese rider must not only quickly regain his former form – he is now also dependent on his rivals dropping points.