AI OGURA HITS DIRECT Q2 IN COMEBACK AT RED BULL RING

Ai Ogura said he wanted a “normal weekend” at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, but his comeback from a forced hand injury moved quickly. The Trackhouse rider had been sidelined before he could challenge near the top of the championship, and when he returned to action he began the GP weekend with a lowly 19th place in free practice. Despite that, Ogura was one of the two most active riders in the session, completing 22 laps.

The turning point came in qualifying. In the afternoon session—stretched to 60 minutes for the GP—Ogura delivered the third-fastest time to secure direct passage into Q2 on Saturday. Speedweek noted that his lap also marked him as the best Aprilia rider on the timing screens. Ogura admitted the performance still surprised him: “The lap surprised me, because until then I had been focusing on doing my own thing. I had a different routine than the other riders and I just enjoyed riding.”

Ogura also played down any pressure associated with returning to the grid. He said he did not feel pressure, adding that his positions were largely irrelevant. Instead, his weekend goal was more about getting back into rhythm: “It’s the first race weekend after a long break, and I’m here to get back into it.”

The Japanese rider’s injured thumb is still part of the story, but he reported no complications. Ahead of the Saturday sprint, Ogura said that on Friday he had “no problems,” and that painkillers were not needed: “At least on Friday not and certainly not on Saturday. Everything is fine.” The Red Bull Ring race is the last before MotoGP heads to Asia, with Ogura’s next outing scheduled for early October at his home round in Motegi.

In the championship standings, Ogura sits sixth, 71 points behind leader Marc Marquez, and he is 4 points clear of his Aprilia teammate Raul Fernandez, the only Aprilia rider who failed to reach Q2.