No rushed comebacks: A paradigm shift in MotoGP?

Ai Ogura is playing it safe and sitting out a second race weekend. This suggests that a scenario like Jorge Lorenzo's at Assen in 2013 is unlikely to happen again in MotoGP

Ai Ogura will miss a second grand prix weekend in a row because of his left thumb injury. Having already sat out the round at MotorLand Aragon last month, the Japanese rider is also absent from this weekend's Misano race. However, the Trackhouse Aprilia team expects Ogura to be back in action next weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Ogura injured his left hand in a motocross training accident at the end of the summer break. He underwent surgery on his left thumb in Barcelona on 27 August. A follow-up check-up was scheduled for this week on 8 September.

The medical team led by Dr. Xavier Mir, however, advised him to skip the Misano weekend. That decision was made on Wednesday and has since been confirmed publicly by the team.

"This track is quite demanding for his injury," said team principal Davide Brivio, pointing to another factor working against a comeback in Misano. "There are a lot of direction changes to the left here. That would probably have put a strain on him. A crash could have made the situation even worse. So we're taking one more week.

"The goal is to be back for Austria. From that point of view, the track should be less demanding: the corners are mostly right-handers, and you only have to brake in a straight line. What matters is that he's fully recovered. After all, the season finale is still ahead of us, and we can get good results in Asia if Ai is in good shape."

Ogura's theoretical title chances have taken a significant hit with two missed race weekends. After Silverstone, he was third in the championship, 37 points behind Aprilia rider Jorge Martin. That gap to the leader has now grown to 53 points.

No more rushed comebacks – a paradigm shift?

Is it a paradigm shift in motorsport that Ogura isn't rushing back despite not suffering a severe injury? A similar situation applies to Formula 1 driver Isack Hadjar, who is missing three races because of a hand injury.

"It's less about attitude and more about the demands of the job," team manager Francesco Guidotti, who will take over Brivio's role in 2027, told Motorsport.com. "A few years ago, it was easier to ride a motorcycle while injured. Today the bikes are so powerful and physically demanding that it's genuinely dangerous, both for the rider himself and for the other riders, if you're not fit.

"So in that sense there has been a shift in mindset, because the physical demands of riding have changed dramatically."

Why a scenario like Lorenzo's at Assen 2013 won't be repeated

Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Yamaha MotoGP

At Assen in 2013, Jorge Lorenzo broke his left collarbone in a crash during wet practice. He flew to Barcelona, had surgery, returned to Assen, and finished fifth in the race.

"I don't think something like that would happen again. As I said, the bikes are extremely physically demanding now, and performance levels are much, much higher," said Guidotti.

"Of course, after an injury, riders need painkillers and so on. You can do that once, maybe even twice, but it can't become routine. So when you get injured, you wait to recover properly."

Compared with 2013, it's not just that the bikes are more strenuous to ride – the overall intensity of the calendar has increased too: 22 race weekends, practice on Friday, qualifying and a sprint on Saturday, and the race on Sunday.

Medical protocols have also changed since 2013. If a rider has to undergo surgery under general anaesthetic, they are not permitted to ride for at least the following 24 hours.

What's more, back in 2013 there were only four or five bikes on the grid capable of winning. With today's tighter competitive field, an unfit rider could easily finish outside the points. "So it just doesn't make sense any more," reckons Guidotti.

Why Lorenzo Savadori isn't stepping in

Ogura was replaced by Lorenzo Savadori in Aragon, but the Italian wasn't available for Misano this time. On Thursday and Friday, he continued the test programme with the new 850cc bike in Barcelona.

In theory, he could have ridden in Ogura's place in Misano on Saturday and Sunday. However, both Savadori and KTM test rider Pol Espargaro reported that switching back to Michelin tyres straight after the Pirelli tests is difficult for them.

For these reasons, the team decided not to field Savadori in Misano. Trackhouse Aprilia will therefore line up with only Raul Fernandez this weekend.