MICHAEL LAVERTY CRITICIZES AI OGURA’S THUMB TIMING AFTER SURGERY

Trackhouse Aprilia rider Ai Ogura’s thumb injury has already reshaped his immediate schedule and, according to former MotoGP competitor Michael Laverty, could also have a knock-on effect on his 2026 title ambitions. Ogura will miss this week’s Aragon Grand Prix at Alcaniz after sustaining the problem while training in Japan during the summer break. The 25-year-old returned to his home country because MotoGP had a three-week pause after the British Grand Prix on August 9, but Trackhouse only confirmed his Aragon absence on Wednesday, with Lorenzo Savadori named as his replacement.

The injury was severe enough to require surgery. Ogura underwent an operation on his left hand on Thursday, with a plate inserted in his thumb following a fracture. The team’s reporting indicated the procedure took place in Barcelona, performed by surgeon Dr Xavier Mir. With the extent of recovery still unclear, Laverty suggested Ogura’s decision-making around when to get the injury checked may have been the key mistake.

Speaking on TNT Sports 2 on August 28, Laverty said Ogura “should have really got it looked at straight away,” arguing that waiting until he was back in Europe left him “behind the curve in terms of recovery.” Laverty framed it as “a bit of a slip up,” adding that the timing now creates “a slight question mark for Misano,” even if Ogura is able to return to the grid.

Laverty also linked the injury situation to the wider title picture. He believes the disruption has “thrown a spanner in the works” for Ogura’s championship challenge. Ogura currently sits third in the standings, with Jorge Martin leading the championship by 30 points and Marco Bezzecchi a further 37 points ahead of him.

Sylvain Guintoli added further context to how the injury occurred. He said he had heard Ogura sustained the fracture close to his left thumb while training on a motocross bike in Japan during the mini-break. However, Guintoli’s account aligned with Laverty’s concern: Ogura did not have the injury assessed before returning to Europe, where the fracture was then discovered.

The Aragon miss compounds a difficult recent run for Ogura. Earlier in the season, he crashed out of P5 at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix. The report described how Ogura fell at the Vale chicane on lap 10 after attempting to enter the first left-hand part of the final sequence with more lean angle. That crash cost him potentially 11 points for P5, and with Aragon now off the calendar, he is expected to lose further ground in the standings.

The British Grand Prix also highlighted the competitive pressure around Ogura. Martin finished second behind Ogura’s Trackhouse teammate Raul Fernandez, who dominated the race. Martin’s own race was affected by a technical issue: his rear ride height device failed to disengage before he turned in for Abbey, according to the report.

With Ogura’s thumb surgery completed but his return date still uncertain, Trackhouse now face a period of waiting to see whether he can be fully fit for the next round at Misano on September 11–13. Laverty’s view is that the injury timeline—especially the delay in getting it checked—could determine whether Ogura returns in time and, crucially, whether he is ready to fight at full capacity.