MotoGP Misano: Ai Ogura awaiting confirmation...

We waited for it, a long time, but the rookie's rebound MotoGP Ai Ogura happened a few days ago, during the Catalan Grand Prix, a week before the premier class race in Misano.

On the Catalan track with its precarious grip, the Japanese rider from the Trackhouse MotoGP team built his weekend perfectly, finishing 10th at the end of Practice before qualifying in 8th position.

9th in the Sprint and 6th in the GP, the number 79 collected 11 points in Catalonia, his second best result of the season after the opening round in Thailand, and arrives full of confidence at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the Grand Prix of San Marino this week.

The return to Italy, following the visit to Mugello for the Italian Grand Prix earlier in the season, also means another homecoming for Trackhouse's racing partner, Aprilia. The RS-GP25 has developed throughout the season and is now proving competitive on both high-speed and slower, stop-start circuits, which bodes well for the upcoming weekend. The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli offers a mix of fast, long corners and tight corners which, as it is a clockwise circuit, place particular demands on the right-hand side of the Michelin tires and requires heavy braking, especially into Turn 13, after the long, fast section at the back of the circuit.

Finding today an increasing rhythm with its Aprilia RS-GP25 equipped with the latest developments, Ai Ogura has already proven himself at Misano in the past: after a victory in his Red Bull Rookie season in 2017, he finished 2nd and 3rd in the two Moto3 races held at this circuit in 2020. At the top of his game during his Moto2 World Championship-winning season, the Japanese rider took victory in San Marino, increasing his overall lead in the intermediate category, which he turned into an unassailable position when the series arrived in Thailand.

As in every round this year, Ai Ogura will discover the track on a MotoGP bike, and the confirmation of his rebound during this weekend will largely depend on his speed of adaptation.
Currently, he is 16th in the championship, with 69 points.

Ai Ogura : “Compared to Barcelona, ​​I think the grip level at Misano will be much higher. We need to adapt quickly again, ideally from Friday morning, which went well last week in Barcelona. It's just a new circuit for me on a MotoGP bike. I'll give it my all and see what happens.”

Davide Brivio, Team Director: “We arrive at Misano after a good weekend in Barcelona for Ai and where it could have been better for Raul given his performance potential. Let’s try to maintain the momentum we had in Barcelona, ​​where both riders had the potential to finish in the top 10. So we want to try to do the same in Misano and we’ll see if we can maintain this performance at different circuits. It’s of course great to be back in Italy, in such a nice place as Misano. I hope we can enjoy it on the track as well.”