Crazy sprint: Trackhouse rider Ogura raced from 7th place onto the podium

As recently as Friday, the mood at Trackhouse on Ai Ogura’s side was subdued. The Japanese rider had failed to qualify directly for the second qualifying session. Things went better on Saturday, but still not quite as the future Yamaha works rider Ogura had hoped. He made it through to Q2 via Q1, but when it came to securing the best starting positions, the number 79 rider was half a second off pole position and his team-mate Raul Fernandez.

In the Indonesian Sprint, Ogura was then handed several gifts. The first came after just a few hundred metres with the double crash involving his brand-mates Fernandez and Bezzecchi. Gift number 2: Fabio Di Giannantonio also went wide at the first corner. After a good start, Ogura found himself in third place after just the first lap.

Ai Ogura wurde beim Sprint mit Platz 2 beschenkt

Foto: Gold and Goose

Whilst Jorge Martin pulled away at the front, Ogura managed to close in on second place and Marc Marquez over a 13-lap stretch in the middle of the race. However, the next casualty was not Marquez, but Martin. The Aprilia factory rider fell back in the final stages due to problems, losing a podium place and the championship lead. Ogura also accepted the gift of second place and crossed the line as the top Aprilia rider.

Japan’s MotoGP hero after the Indonesian Sprint: “That was a fantastic race – but you don’t normally end up in this position that way. During the race, I identified three areas where we can still improve. If you want to be in contention for top places like this, things have to go better. So we’ve still got plenty of work ahead of us – but I’m still looking forward to Sunday!”

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MotoGP World Championship

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As Fabio Di Giannantonio, sixth in the World Championship, crossed the line directly behind Ai Ogura, the Japanese rider’s position in the standings remained unchanged. However, the Trackhouse rider made up five points on Pedro Acosta in the standings. He is now just one point behind the best KTM rider.