Ai Ogura: Fifth on MotoGP debut “kills me” after “nothing special” rookie season

Ai Ogura says it “kills” him that a fifth-place result on his MotoGP debut was an outlier in a rookie season that he described as “nothing special”. 

The Trackhouse rider turned heads when he stepped up to MotoGP at the start of the year in Buriram, qualifying his satellite Aprilia on the second row before finishing fourth in the sprint and fifth in the grand prix.

But that weekend would remain the high point of the Japanese rider’s rookie campaign, as his form fluctuated while team-mate Raul Fernandez scored a breakthrough victory at the Australian Grand Prix.
Ogura also suffered two major injuries during the year, including a broken leg that required surgery, forcing him to miss several races, including his home grand prix at Motegi.

He eventually ended the season 16th in the championship on 89 points, with eight top-10 finishes to his name.

Asked to sum up his year at the Valencia finale, Ogura said: “[There is] nothing special to say about my first season in MotoGP. Just running here, a lot of crashes and injuries. 

“Even having that tough year, there's still a lot of positives. I'm really happy to finish my rookie season, and I can't wait for the second one.”

He added: “To be honest, nothing surprised me. I always think about the worst scenario possible, so it's nothing that surprises me.”

Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Expectations were high for Ogura when he graduated to MotoGP this year as the reigning Moto2 champion.

His impressive start in Thailand was viewed as the first real glimpse of his potential, but he ultimately never reached those same heights again during the season.

Asked if reflecting on his Buriram result helped boost his confidence, Ogura replied: "It’s the opposite. That kills me, because my best result was in the first race - that was something special. 

“And the races after, it's my real potential, and I start to think. But, the last race was quite OK, and there were a few top ten finishes this year.”

Ogura admitted that he battled self doubts in his first year in MotoGP, but feels a stronger end to the campaign - including a seventh-place finish in Portugal - helped him regain his confidence.

“During this season, at one point, I think maybe I'm not [good] enough, but then I started to ride the bike OK,” he said. “After the injury, especially in the tough moments [I had doubts]. 

“But [in] the last two races, I had quite OK races. So, I still see the future. It's OK.”