After missing the Misano test, Ai Ogura was able to participate in the Valencia test and finally work on things that had been pending for months.
Ai Ogura He experienced a particularly complicated first season in MotoGP, marked by flashes of brilliance but also injuries that kept him away from Grands Prix and considerably slowed his progress in the category. Despite an incredible start, which saw him achieve two top-five finishes in Thailand, he finished 16th in the championship, having missed three and a half Grands Prix.
While he showed slight improvement towards the end of the season, he couldn't finish as he had hoped and crashed out in the final race in Valencia. Despite his frustration, the Japanese rider focused on the positives, namely the test following the Grand Prix, which was his first since April.
Indeed, Ogura He had missed the Misano test in September due to a violent crash the day before, which ultimately forced him to withdraw from his home Grand Prix the following weekend. He was therefore finally able to work on things that had remained unresolved throughout the season.
“I worked on my driving style and a few options. There were just a few things to test, and it went well. Overall, it was a good day for us. Everyone was saying 2026 started today, but for me, it felt more like 2025 ended today, and I'm delighted about that. It was good to have this test day. We came up with some ideas, and I have all winter to develop them.”, did he declare.
"We finally did a test with Ai today, the first since Jerez."added Giovanni Mattarollo, his chief mechanic. “Naturally, we wanted to try a lot of things, but unfortunately, due to time constraints, we couldn't do everything. We were able to work on the setup, the chassis, some strategic options, and the driving position. Overall, we're satisfied with the result. We didn't work on time attack; we simply focused on understanding certain aspects and working with Ai to make further progress.”
Results Valencia test :
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
