Ai Ogura's breakthrough: rear brake and a non-gym-built physique

Ai Ogura wants to wrap up this first part of the MotoGP season in style. Two podiums and one win in the first ten GPs of 2026, consistently in the top five except in Catalunya. The Japanese rider from the Aprilia Trackhouse team is making plenty of headlines, and next year he will be in the factory Yamaha ranks alongside his current brand-mate Jorge Martin.

After the Assen win, there’s a lot of buzz around the 25-year-old from Tokyo. Fourth in the overall standings, behind Martin, Bezzecchi and Di Giannantonio, but ahead of the more established Marc Marquez, Pedro Acosta and Pecco Bagnaia. One of his trump cards is certainly his use of the rear brake, an area where #93 has so far been considered the undisputed master. He can brake later and more aggressively than many rivals, a trait that could upend the balance of power in the MotoGP class.

Mechanics and engineers are stunned by his technique, poring over the data to understand the secret and pass it on within their respective garages. Until now, the great master of rear-brake use was Marc Marquez; now many eyes are on Ai Ogura, who can manage situations superbly even when he is chasing another rider. Rising tire pressure doesn’t seem to be an issue for the Trackhouse rider, who can sting anyone even in the closing laps. Behind the calm demeanor and laid-back attitude lies a ruthless racer’s instinct.

Even more remarkable is the Japanese rider’s consistency this MotoGP season, having forged a near-telepathic connection with the RS-GP. He is just 25 points in the standings behind championship leader Jorge Martin, a gap that could be erased in a single Grand Prix. So far he has never finished lower than eighth in a race and is becoming a thorn in the side for all the factory teams. At this point a question naturally arises within Aprilia’s ranks: was it a mistake to let him go to focus on Pecco Bagnaia? A question only time can answer. In Noale now hovers the specter of a champion lost in cruel fashion...

His former crew chief Norman Rank, with whom Ogura won the Moto2 title in 2024, knows the Japanese rider like no one else. They worked together for nine years; he discovered him when he was still a kid racing in junior championships. “Ai doesn’t ride the bike with power, but with talent,” the technician told Speedweek.com. “As far as I know, Ai has never even complained about compartment syndrome... He doesn’t go to the gym, only when necessary. With Trackhouse, at the start it was a problem... Some young riders look like prizefighters or MMA combatants from one year to the next. But those muscles also need oxygen.”

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