Ai Ogura: “Combination” with Marco Bezzecchi would be “perfect” on Aprilia MotoGP
Ai Ogura says he would like to combine his own riding style with the best parts of Marco Bezzecchi’s in MotoGP.
Trackhouse MotoGP Ai Ogura says he wants to try to combine the good aspects of Marco Bezzecchi’s riding style with his own.
Ogura started out the season as Aprilia’s shining light as Bezzecchi struggled to adapt to the RS-GP after three years at Ducati, and in the absence of Jorge Martin, thanks to performances like those in Thailand or Argentina where he was able to finish inside the top-10 (albeit before a technical disqualification at Termas).
But since the opening races, Ogura has run into more difficulties on the MotoGP bike, while the more experienced Bezzecchi has excelled in the factory Aprilia Racing squad, taking five podiums in the last seven races, plus a Sprint win at Misano – all in addition to the British Grand Prix win back at the end of May.
“For sure, what Marco’s [Bezzecchi] doing on the bike helps a lot for the Aprilia riders, I think,” Ai Ogura told the pre-event press conference at the Japanese MotoGP.
“He’s the reference at the moment – he’s fighting for the victory in most of the races.
“So, just try to take the good parts from him and take that thing as an advantage.
“I just want to do my thing on the bike, as well, so a combination would be perfect.”
Ogura arrives in Japan having missed the post-race test at Misano following a crash in the San Marino Grand Prix.
“First of all, I’m okay,” Ogura said about his condition after the crash, later saying he’s at “90 [per cent], let’s say”.
He continued: “The crash I had in Misano was a massive one, but luckily there was [no] serious injury for me. So, hopefully I’ll be okay on the bike this time.”
For the Trackhouse rider, this year’s Motegi race will be his first in the premier class, something that excites him.
“For sure I’m excited, it’s the first home GP on a MotoGP bike, so I just want to give my 100 per cent in front of the Japanese fans and see how it goes,” he said.
“But, I think it’s quite okay.”
He added: “This circuit is one of my favourite circuits on the calendar; on the Moto2 bike I was riding quite well, but this time the things are a bit different: I’m on a MotoGP and the riders I have to face are a lot faster this time.
“So, we’ll see. But I just want to enjoy to ride this circuit; and the bike works good in all the circuits.”
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Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
