OGURA FACES HIGH EXPECTATIONS AT HIS HOME MOTOGP

Ai Ogura heads to his home Grand Prix at Motegi with high expectations after showing strong pace on his return from injury. The Trackhouse Aprilia rider missed the Aragon and Misano rounds after breaking his left thumb while motocross training in Japan. He came back in Austria and finished fourth in both races.

Asked whether the pressure to deliver at home is greater this year, the 25-year-old said: “Definitely more than last year. We’ve shown good speed this season. It’s a shame I got injured before Aragon and missed two races. In Austria I was immediately fast again, finishing fourth in both races. Now it’s my home Grand Prix. I think we’re in good shape. Expectations are high.”

Ogura has a strong record at Motegi from his Moto2 days: he won there in 2022 and finished second in 2023 and 2024. His MotoGP visit last year was cut short. He placed ninth in the sprint, but withdrew from Sunday’s Grand Prix as pain from a right-hand injury sustained in a Misano crash worsened. Asked if he could repeat his earlier Motegi success in MotoGP, he replied: “I don’t know. But that’s the goal.”

The last Japanese rider to stand on the MotoGP podium at Motegi was Makoto Tamada, 21 years ago. Ogura was only four at the time. His recent form, including a MotoGP victory at Assen this season, has raised hopes among home fans, though he said he has not noticed a change in how often people recognise him in Japan.

Ogura attended a fan event in Tokyo on Wednesday before travelling to the circuit. Reflecting on the reception, he said: “What I saw at the event yesterday is that people are really happy about Japanese riders and motorcycles. It’s nice to see. Enthusiasm for motorcycle racing in Japan is still growing.”