Ai Ogura, spectacular comeback and unexpected self-criticism at Buriram: "I'm very disappointed"

A great Aprilia with all its riders shining in Buriram, including former rookie Ogura: his performances were truly remarkable, now he needs consistency.

Well done Marco Bezzecchi, well done Raul Fernandez, well done Jorge Martin, and well done Ai Ogura. In the 2026 Thailand Grand Prix, Aprilia achieved excellent results with all its riders, both from the factory team and the Trackhouse satellite squad. Ogura finished fourth in the sprint race and fifth in the main race, after starting from eighth on the grid. Those are the same finishes he achieved in 2025, when he arrived in Buriram as a MotoGP rookie and impressed everyone.

Today the 25-year-old Japanese rider is more mature and ready to contest a season at a higher level than last year. He has more experience and a more competitive RS-GP. He had already made a strong impression in pre-season testing, and it will be interesting to follow his performance in 2026.

The 2024 Moto2 champion had a less-than-ideal race start in Thailand; from eighth he dropped to eleventh, and his comeback wasn’t very quick: "There was an issue that held me back in the first part of the race," he told Motosan, "but it had nothing to do with the bike. The problem was how I was tackling the corners, especially with so many bikes ahead. It was just another experience, but I was surprised by how poorly I did in the first part of the race. There was no technical problem. Could it have been due to tire pressure? Yes, that’s one of the reasons."

Ogura also explained why he wasn't able to hold eighth position or gain places after the start in Buriram: "I launched better than on Saturday, but Joan had an incredible start. He completely shut the door on me and there was nothing I could do. I lost a lot of positions."

Finishing a MotoGP race in fifth place is not a bad result at all, but the Trackhouse rider is convinced he had the potential to do better and is frustrated for not capitalizing on it: "I knew I would be fast at the end of the race, but I wasn’t able to capitalize. That was my strong point, but I couldn’t exploit it. I’m very disappointed. I pushed at the wrong time. Maybe when the bike was ready, I didn’t. And when the bike was already at the limit, that’s when I pushed. It’s something I need to understand better."

The fact that a fifth place leaves him so disappointed is a positive sign; it means Ogura has grown and is more aware of his strength compared to a year ago, when such a result was welcomed: "I guess so. The position is the same, but the feeling is completely different. Not happy at all." He has another twenty-one Grands Prix to prove his worth. His start to 2026 has been very promising for the future.

The article with the original interview in Spanish on Motosan.es