Trackhouse ace Ogura hopes for a “perfectly normal weekend” in Austria

Japan’s MotoGP hero Ai Ogura is making his comeback at Spielberg following a hand injury he sustained during motocross training. The Trackhouse Aprilia rider, who had at one point been sitting in second place in the World Championship standings, has now been out of action for several weeks; his last Grand Prix was at Silverstone. As reported, the 25-year-old Japanese rider is now making his comeback at this high-speed circuit before heading back to his home in Asia. “I feel good. I think my hand is in better condition than I’d expected a week ago. Of course, I’m looking forward to being back in action. I just want to get the weekend underway and see what’s possible and how it goes. Nothing special – I just hope to have a completely normal weekend.”

Ai Ogura has fond memories of Spielberg – he won the 2022 Moto2 race there for the Idemitsu Honda team owned by sponsor Hiroshi Aoyama. “In the past, especially during my time in Moto2, the circuit layout really suited me,” recalls the 2024 world champion. “I could set good lap times effortlessly. But last year the situation was a bit more complicated and I had quite a bit of trouble there. I hope things go better this time, but that’s just the way it is.”

Ahead of the MotoGP event in Styria, the Yamaha rider-to-be also spoke about his team-mate, Raul Fernandez, with whom he shared the Moto2 podium at Spielberg in 2021: “Raul is in good form. He’s making a strong impression at the moment. He definitely has the potential to fight for the top places – for me, it might be a slightly different story. I’ve missed two races and need a bit of time to regain full confidence on the bike. Getting on the podium straight after an injury in a comeback race is no easy task; so I expect Raul to have a good race, but to be honest, I don’t really expect the same from myself.”

Ogura was once as high as second in the World Championship standings – now sixth place is under threat

Which sections of the Red Bull Ring in Styria suit Ogura, who has slipped to 6th in the World Championship standings, particularly well? “It really depends. Whether you’re strong on the brakes or carry a lot of cornering speed – it really depends on many factors. As a rider, you always enjoy it particularly when you’re really strong on a track. It also depends on the year, on the session in question. It’s hard to say.”

After Spielberg, Ogura’s next event on the calendar is his home race at Motegi: “As I said, the situation isn’t quite what we’d have hoped for, but it’s good that I can at least try to race in Austria before heading to Japan. So I hope to get a good feeling in Austria and be back to almost 100 per cent in Motegi. That’s the aim for now. I just want to put in some good races – both in Austria and afterwards.”

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