Ai Ogura earned plenty of screen time during the opening leg of the 2026 MotoGP season. While factory riders Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin led the charge for Aprilia so far, Ogura has also drawn praise for his performances with the satellite Trackhouse team.
The Japanese rider first caught the eye when he rose from 10th to fifth in the final eight laps of the Thai GP, matching his best finish in MotoGP. It was telling that Ogura was still not satisfied with the result, admitting he left more on the table by being “shit” in the first half of the race.
The remark offered valuable insights into his mentality and underlined his growing hunger to improve. After the Goiania weekend came and went with a double top-five finish, that ambition was again evident at Austin, where he was knocking on the door of a podium finish until an engine issue forced him out of the race.
The outcome may be heartbreaking for Ogura, but the fact that he was contending for a top-three result in the first place was a clear sign of progress.
Across the opening three rounds, it is fair to say Ogura looked stronger than his more experienced team-mate Raul Fernandez. While both have struggled to extract the best out of the RS-GP in qualifying, Ogura has largely been able to recover from lower grid positions in races.
A rookie season that left much to be desired
Much was expected from Ogura when he stepped up to MotoGP last year as the reigning Moto2 champion. A fourth and a fifth on his debut weekend only raised hopes, but those results proved to be the high point of an otherwise underwhelming rookie campaign.
However, the opening phase of the 2026 season suggests he is now beginning to deliver on that early promise.
According to Trackhouse team principal Davide Brivio, Ogura’s improved form is the result of increased maturity, with his struggles in 2025 largely influenced by injuries rather than a lack of pace.
Ogura broke his leg during a crash over the British GP weekend and needed surgery, while another accident at Misano left him with a hand injury.
“We are pleased, but it's nothing we didn’t expect. This is what we were working on,” he said at Austin.
“What you call the roller coaster of last year, that was very much influenced by the injury. We had two big injuries. When he got the injury, it was a little bit of a step back, and then it takes time to recover and everything. Now hopefully everything's going okay.
“We know he's fast, we know he has talent, and it's a matter of going through the first year of experience, to make mistakes, to learn, to understand, and we have seen him starting in the season more mature and more aware of what he can do. But not just aware, but having experience. He knows what to expect.
“The rhythm of MotoGP is higher than Moto2. In Moto2, you can take it more easy, but in MotoGP you have to be ready by Friday morning.
“So he has to go through this process, and this year he has more mentally prepared to approach what MotoGP requires.
“But this is a never-ending job. Even if you race 15 years…. I tell everybody, you always have something to learn, and it's what he's doing.”
Despite the mechanical-induced retirement in the US GP, Ogura has already accumulated 37 points, just three fewer than his team-mate Fernandez and close to half of what he scored (89) during in an injury-hit 2025 season.
Brivio thinks it is only a matter of time before Ogura is able to stand on the podium for the first time in MotoGP.
“This is what we have to do this year, we have to stay as close as possible to the top positions, and take the opportunity when they come,” he said.
“Sooner or later maybe you will get an opportunity. You just have to be ready by that time.”
Ogura's performances have not gone unnoticed, with Motorsport.com reporting last weekend that he will join the factory Yamaha team in 2027.
