Ai Ogura “not so happy” with Sepang Sprint simulation despite Aprilia progress
Ai Ogura identified high-speed corners as the key gap to Aprilia leader Marco Bezzecchi at the Sepang MotoGP Test.
Ai Ogura admitted he was “not so happy” with his Sprint simulation at the Sepang MotoGP test, despite feeling more comfortable on Aprilia’s 2026 RS-GP.
The Trackhouse rider finished 12th overall, 0.924s behind pace-setter Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) and 0.8s adrift of factory Aprilia benchmark Marco Bezzecchi.
However, Ogura, who was battling a cold on the final day, acknowledged that he “expected a bit more” from the long run, where he was a step behind the leading riders.
“I think it’s [a matter of] matching the rider and the bike. I expected to go a few tenths faster in the long run, but I couldn’t,” he explained.
“I have a good feeling with the new bike. Even I'm riding in the same lap time whether I'm on the ‘26 or ’25, I have a better feeling on ’26.
“But to make that last extra push wasn't really easy.”
Asked where he is losing time to Bezzecchi, Ogura pointed to high-speed sections.
“He just carries more speed,” Ogura explained. “I think he can turn like me, but with higher speed.
“Thailand is a different type of track, but we will work on it in Thailand.”
The final pre-season MotoGP test takes place at Buriram on February 21–22, the track where Ogura claimed his best premier-class results so far of 4th (Sprint) and 5th (GP) on his debut a year ago.
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