Fourth, “MVP” Ai Ogura makes a strong impression

He never ceases to amaze, starting with himself. Ai Ogura, reigning Moto2 world champion, discreetly arrives in the premier class in 2025 during the winter tests. Now, for the first Grand Prix of the season in Thailand, no one can close their eyes to the Japanese rider who dazzled the Sprint by finishing fourth, in the exhaust of the Ducati of Francesco Bagnaia, double world champion MotoGP. Ogura had the luxury of being the first Aprilia rider to cross the line, with the Italian brand missing the reigning champion, Jorge Martín, injured, and Marco Bezzecchi having reached the finish in twelfth position, behind the second Trackhouse, that of Raúl Fernández.

Enough to be awarded the title of "MVP" (Most Valuable Player, a term designating the best player in American sports) by Franco Morbidelli, fifth on his Ducati VR46 and who was unable to overtake the Japanese rider's Aprilia: “I tried to overtake at the start of the race the one who is for me the MVP of the day, Ai Ogura! I made a mistake, I went wide and lost two positions, then it was difficult to come back to the others and overtake them."

Surprise and learning on the menu for Ogura

Already this Friday, Ogura surprised himself by directly accessing Q2 thanks to a ninth place in testing: « It was a nice surprise to be straight into Q2. Overall the feeling on the bike was excellent. It's my first weekend in MotoGP, my first Friday in this category, and I think we can be very happy today. The two days of testing here certainly helped me as a rookie, but it might be more difficult at another circuit. But the result is the result and I am very happy about it."

This Saturday morning, the smile on number 79 was still as big, after a first-rate performance during this first Sprint of the season: “The race was great, really, I couldn't have hoped for better. I want to thank the team that gave me great equipment this weekend. I had a great start, with a very good first corner, which allowed me to position myself in fourth place from the start and to keep this position throughout the race.

In addition to a pure performance that had nothing to envy from those of the big names in the category, Ai Ogura was able to perfect his knowledge of riding a MotoGP throughout these 13 laps. Indeed, the Japanese had a great teacher in front of him, Francesco Bagnaia. He didn't let him out of his sight throughout the race. Although he wasn't able to overtake him, he did learn a lot, which could prove crucial for the next rounds on circuits that he will be discovering. The Sepang and Valencia tracks, on which he has already ridden in MotoGP, will be positioned much later in the calendar...

"What matters most to me is that I was able to gain valuable experience by following Pecco throughout the race. These laps were of very good quality, which was an extremely enriching lesson for me."

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