In the run-up to the Austrian Grand Prix, it was announced that Ai Ogura would make his MotoGP debut next season thanks to Trackhouse, and in particular its team manager Davide Brivio. With the signing of the Japanese rider, Brivio remains faithful to the philosophy that makes him a unique case among the managers of the different teams in the championship.
When he was in charge of Suzuki's MotoGP project, the Italian opted to 'manufacture' his line-up of young riders in Alex Rins and Joan Mir. He considered it a safer investment than going to the market to look for a proven rider, theoretically the easiest and usually the most expensive way, which does not always produce the expected result.
The move worked out well for Suzuki. The Hamamatsu brand won the title with Mir in 2020 to coincide with Suzuki's celebrations of its 60-year racing history and came exactly two decades since its last crown in 2000, won by Kenny Roberts Jr.
Earlier, during his time at Yamaha, Brivio's spotting talent was key in tying down Jorge Lorenzo even before the Spaniard, then riding a 250cc bike with the #48 on it, won his first silver-class world championship in 2006.
All of the above is a remarkable enough archive to suggest that any decision made by the former Alpine executive is the result of an exhaustive analysis and with sound reasoning behind it. In case that logic did not convince anyone, Brivio himself argued for the choice of MT Helmets youngster Ogura ahead of others - for example, Joe Roberts - who might have seemed a better fit on the satellite Aprilia.
"With Ai, we decided to go in a different direction," explained Brivio a few days ago, shortly after the announcement of the Tokyo rider's incorporation with a view to 2025 and 2026. "We did our studies based on the performance we thought the different alternatives we looked at could offer us.
"We appreciate what he is doing in Moto2, his resilience. He never gives up. We are confident and we think he is a good choice."
Asked immediately about Roberts, and the reasons why the only North American team in MotoGP will not have a home-country star to promote, Brivio was as clear as he was elegant in his answer.
"It would be nice to have an American rider in an American team," he replied. "Joe was on our list, but we did our analysis more from a performance point of view, and we came to the conclusion that the route we chose was more appropriate. We will know if we got it right or not in a couple of years."
With this move, Brivio highlights several elements that should not be overlooked. Firstly, he has convinced team owner Justin Marks not to rush into signing a rider simply for the sake of nationality.
With the arrival of Ogura, the North Carolina-based team has made a declaration of intent. A diametrically opposed manifesto to that of Pramac
Secondly, and no less important, the former Suzuki boss has stood firm with the powers that be, who seem more interested in Roberts' debut in the top category than Marks himself, for purely commercial reasons. All of this Brivio has done diplomatically and without raising the voice he does not have.
"We know that Dorna would have been happy if we had chosen Joe," said the Italian, who turned 60 last month and who has signed a long-term contract at Trackhouse, with Aprilia's full backing.
"But the decision was ours. In any case, I think Dorna has every reason to be happy that we have signed Ogura, because this way we will have the first representative of the Asia Talent Cup who will have reached MotoGP."
With the arrival of Ogura, the North Carolina-based team has made a declaration of intent. A diametrically opposed manifesto to that of Pramac, which in the next few days should announce Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller as its riders, in the adventure that will begin together with Yamaha.
It so happens that the Australian, his country's sole representative in the championship, was not on the shortlist for one of the four M1s on track in 2025. But neither Pramac nor Yamaha seem to have seen fit to leave Miller without a place on the grid.
Fabio Quartararo, the spearhead of the Iwata-based manufacturer, has always made clear his preference for a young rider, either Sergio Garcia or Tony Arbolino, for that position in Paolo Campinoti's team. Aware of where things were heading, the French rider seems to have resigned himself to it.
"We don't have time, we have to improve as soon as possible, so the experience will always be welcome," commented the 2021 champion recently, in a statement that projected a tone of resignation rather than excitement.
