Ai Ogura needs answers after a mixed weekend in Jerez

After the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, rookie MotoGP rider Ai Ogura was left with very mixed emotions. He showed that he had the speed to fight at the front, but once again his strong pace came too late to change the result.

Starting from only eleventh place on the grid after a difficult wet qualifying session, Ogura lost important time in the early laps of the race. This made it hard for him to stay with the leading group. By the middle of the race, he was already several seconds behind the front runners.

However, in the second half of the race, everything changed. Ogura became one of the fastest riders on track and was even quicker than race winner Alex Marquez over the final ten laps. His last lap was especially impressive, being about 0.6 seconds faster than anyone else.

Despite this late speed, the earlier time loss meant he finished almost ten seconds behind the winner. Still, he managed to close a big gap to other top riders, showing clear potential. After the race, Ogura admitted that he needs to understand why he cannot be fast from the very beginning, as this is now a repeating problem.

The story of strong pace continued into the official Jerez test the next day. There, Ogura confirmed his speed by setting the fastest time of all riders. He led a dominant performance by Aprilia Racing machines, with Aprilia bikes finishing first, second and third.

Ogura was just ahead of his Trackhouse team-mate Raul Fernandez, while championship leader Marco Bezzecchi completed the top three. This showed that Aprilia currently has one of the strongest bikes on the grid.

During the test, many teams focused on new technical developments, especially aerodynamics. Aprilia introduced new parts and sensors to better understand airflow, while other manufacturers like Ducati also tested updated aero packages and bike components.

Overall, the Jerez weekend showed two important things. First, Ogura has the speed to compete with the best riders in MotoGP. Second, Aprilia’s bike is performing very well, especially in testing conditions.

The main question now is whether Ogura can combine his strong late-race pace with a better start to the race. If he can solve this problem, he could soon fight not just for good results, but for podiums and even victories.

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