Historic MotoGP victory: Ai Ogura wins for Japan – after 22 years

Japan had to wait almost 22 years – 7,952 days, to be precise. Since Makoto Tamada triumphed at Motegi in 2004 on a Camel-Honda, no Japanese rider had won a race in the premier class – until Ai Ogura crossed the finish line at Assen on Sunday. The Trackhouse-Aprilia rider is not only the 125th different winner in MotoGP history, but also the first former Asia Talent Cup rider to win a race.

Behind him, team-mate Raul Fernandez sealed the first GP one-two in the Trackhouse team’s history – third place went to factory Aprilia rider Jorge Martin, who took the lead in the World Championship. Ogura completed his lap of honour waving the Japanese flag.

A near-failure with Ogura’s bike could have cost him the win

The race got off to anything but a smooth start for the 25-year-old. Starting from the Aprilia-dominated front row, Ogura lost a few positions. However, in the heat, the race turned into a battle of machinery and nerves: the previous championship leader, Marco Bezzecchi, crashed heavily as early as lap 2, whilst Pedro Acosta (arm problems) and Pecco Bagnaia (brake failure) also retired later on.

Assen-Sieger 2026: Ai Ogura (Trackhouse-Aprilia)

Foto: Gold and Goose

Ai Ogura, on the other hand, set the fastest lap times of the entire field and fought his way back up to P3. Things got dicey when his ride-height device briefly jammed. The rear end remained lowered, the Aprilia RS-GP scraped across the tarmac whilst leaning over and sent up sparks. Ogura managed to get the problem under control again; rather than giving up, he switched back into attack mode. This setback didn’t cost him much time either; he made up the half-second he’d lost within a single lap. After overtaking Martin and finally Fernandez, Ogura pulled away and crossed the line to claim his first GP victory with a two-second lead. The Japanese rider had already impressed by finishing second in the sprint race.

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28.08.2026 - 08:55

A hidden message to his home country

In his first interview as a MotoGP winner, Ogura was almost lost for words: “It’s fantastic. I don’t want to say too much because there isn’t much to say,” he said, visibly overwhelmed. “I mean, just winning – I’m so happy for my people. And thank you to everyone.”

Ogura saved his emotional thanks for his compatriots. Speaking in Japanese, he addressed the fans back home directly: “To everyone in Japan: thank you very much for your support. I’ll keep giving my all from the next race onwards, so I ask for your continued support.” The reward for his consistent season: thanks to this victory, Ogura has moved up to fourth place in the World Championship standings and is now quietly in the mix for the title. He is just 25 points behind the new championship leader, Jorge Martin.