Austin heartbreak for Ogura: mechanical failure shatters the dream of a special first-ever podium

Ai Ogura could also have been part of Aprilia’s big celebration in Texas, before the technical trouble... The disappointment is huge.

It was an Aprilia party in Austin, with the super one-two by Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin. But there’s also a major disappointment: Ai Ogura, on fire in the United States GP, was knocked out of the Veneto brand’s triumph by a bike problem that forced him to retire early. There are no images of a first MotoGP podium, but instead we have the somber return to the box and Davide Brivio’s hands clasped together, as if to apologize to his rider for the technical KO. The fastest lap of the race, proving the pace the 2024 Moto2 world champion was setting, is no consolation, only further reason for bitterness over what might have been—a date with a premier-class podium postponed yet again.

The Trackhouse Japanese rider was putting together his best race yet, with a superb comeback and, who knows, maybe his first MotoGP podium? Pedro Acosta in 3rd was ahead of him, 6 laps to go... Then the incredible twist: the unfortunate rider suddenly starts losing positions, and when the camera cuts back, he’s moved to the side and raised his hand. It’s the bitter end to a brilliant race, ruined by a technical issue on his RS-GP. It could have been an all-Aprilia podium, the first in premier-class history, as well as Ogura’s first and a return to the rostrum for Trackhouse Racing at their most special GP, being a U.S.-based team. Now there’s a month-long break (let’s remember the postponement of the Qatar round) to digest the disappointment and fix the problem—certainly an extra push for the upcoming rounds.

"Clearly we’re not happy" is the first comment from a dejected Ai Ogura, who in front of motogp.com’s microphones tries to contain his disappointment—hard to hide, though. "I don’t really know what to say... I’m very sorry for the team, they worked hard all weekend... And to finish like this is really disappointing". It’s not clear what technical issue stopped him. "At the end of the first sector I felt something was wrong, the bike didn’t stop but it wasn’t working". They’re still trying to see the positives from the weekend. "We were really competitive, especially in the GP" he concluded, succinct and bitter. A podium date postponed again—hopefully for just a short time...