MotoGP – Assen, Ogura, the heartbreaking victory: Aprilia triumphs, but it's thanks to TrackHouse

At Assen, Ai Ogura secured his first MotoGP victory. But the triumph was bittersweet for Aprilia. It was the satellite TrackHouse team, not the factory team, that dominated the weekend. Consultant Neil Hodgson believes Aprilia is "devastated." Their key rider, Bezzecchi, crashed. Martin, who is joining Yamaha, is leading the championship. The Noale factory's dominance is somewhat diminished.

Rarely has a manufacturer so thoroughly dominated a MotoGP weekend. Pole position. Four Aprilia in the top four places qualifications. Double TrackHouse when Sprint. First triple of its history Assen on SundayAnd yet, upon leaving the Netherlands, Aprilia not celebrating a perfect weekend.

From a sporting perspective, it's hard to imagine a more resounding domination. Ai Ogura offer to Aprilia A historic victory. Raul Fernandez confirms its change of dimension with a new second place. George Martin completes the podium and takes the lead in the championnat.

The RS-GP established itself as the absolute benchmark of the weekend. Even the riders Ducati They acknowledged it. Fabio DiGiannantonio explained after the race that he had to take "a huge number of risks" simply to stay in touch with the ApriliaBut there's a sense of incompleteness...

Because the feeling is more nuanced on the Noale side. Why? Because the pilot who embodied the project Aprilia since the start of the season, Marco Bezzecchileft without a single point after a spectacular fall.

The championship leader has become the hunter. And the one who reclaims first place is none other than... Jorge MartinBut everyone already knows that the 2024 world champion will leave Aprilia at the end of the season to join Yamaha That's the whole ambiguity of this Dutch weekend. Aprilia now leads the championship… with a rider who will be leaving in a few months.

TrackHouse's success is also a game-changer at Aprilia.

The other lesson comes from the neighboring garage. It wasn't the factory drivers who won both races. It was Raul fernandez et Ai OguraThis success illustrates the quality of the work done by TrackHousebut it also creates new internal competition.

Massimo rivola He even joked about it after the finish. "May the best man win!" An elegant phrase that also reflects a reality: Aprilia now has four winning motorcycles.

Neil Hodgson believes this result should be worrying ApriliaThis assessment needs to be qualified. The Italian manufacturer has probably never left a Grand Prix with such certainty about the potential of its motorcycle. However, the pressure has shifted. It no longer focuses on the competitiveness of the RS-GP. It now concerns the management of its riders.

George Martin et Marco Bezzecchi are competing for a world title. Raul Fernandez demands a new contract. Ai Ogura has just secured his first MotoGP victory. Never Aprilia had not had such a wealth of sporting resources.

Assen This may mark a turning point. For several years, Aprilia simply wanted to build a motorcycle capable of beating DucatiThis mission now seems accomplished. The next challenge is quite different: to transform this technical superiority into a world title.

And this will perhaps require more human management than mechanical development. Because the best motorcycle on the grid MotoGP does not automatically guarantee the best champion.