After missing the Austrian Grand Prix, following a crash that forced him to withdraw from the event before taking part in Qualifying, Ai Ogura has found his form again, and is seeing his almost flawless consistency pay off in this second half of the season. The Japanese rider's latest results have allowed him to put his finger on the Moto2 title. Enough to give him confidence before competing in his home Grand Prix.
While Ai Ogura has scored two podiums in the last three Grands Prix, his garage neighbour, suffering, has concluded two of the last three meetings with retirements. A situation which naturally benefits the Japanese driver. Having remained in the shadow of Sergio Garcia during the first part of the season, the n°79 has taken advantage of the latter's misfortunes to reduce the gap in the championship and take the lead in San Marino.
After the Indonesian Grand Prix, where he finished second, Ogura almost doubled his points advantage, extending his lead to 42 points over Sergio Garcia, who can no longer be considered his most serious rival.
The men in form in recent races, Aron Canet, Jake Dixon and Tony Arbolino, are at least fifty points behind the leader of the Moto2 riders' standings. An advantage that could grow this weekend, when Ai Ogura will benefit from the support of the Japanese fans at Motegi.
In the last five rounds of this 2024 season, there are still 150 points to be distributed. The Japanese driver would therefore have to lose around ten points per race compared to his closest pursuers to see the title slip away from him.
The future Trackhouse Racing rider is therefore the favourite for the world crown. He would thus become the first Japanese to win a World Championship since Hiroshi Aoyama's victory in 250cc, the former name of the intermediate class. This title dates back more than fifteen years, since it was awarded to Aoyama at the end of the 2009 season.