OGURA TARGETS QATAR TOP FIVE AS HE CHASES BEZZECCHI

Ai Ogura heads to Qatar aiming to build on a strong Malaysian round, where he finished fourth in both races. The Trackhouse Aprilia rider is fifth in the championship with 278 points, but trails teammate Marco Bezzecchi, currently third, by 54 points with only three events remaining.

The Lusail International Circuit offers Ogura a chance to close that gap. MotoGP last raced there more than a year and a half ago, but he does not expect the break to cause problems. “That’s more or less the case at every circuit,” he said, noting the difference was only five or six months compared with other tracks.

Ogura’s previous Qatar visit came during his rookie season, when he scored seventh and 15th. He believes he can do better this time: “I think we can achieve a little more this time.” The circuit’s layout also appears to suit the Aprilia RS-GP. “We can be very competitive in almost all sectors, so it should be a good track for us,” he said.

His target for the weekend is clear: “The top five.”