“It's going to be interesting” - Ai Ogura, Jorge Martin talk Yamaha MotoGP move
Ai Ogura says partnering Jorge Martin at Yamaha will be "interesting" as both prepare to leave Aprilia for MotoGP's new era.
MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin and fellow grand prix winner Ai Ogura will switch from Aprilia to Yamaha next season, forming an all-new factory line-up for MotoGP's new 850cc/Pirelli era.
Much will change with the new bikes and tyres, but as things stand, it means leaving a manufacturer leading the world championship for one currently last in the constructors' standings.
“I don't want to go really deep into it, but I always take the decisions that I think are better for me, for my family and for my future,” Martin said.
“It's the same when I chose Ducati in the first moment, then I chose Aprilia, and now I choose Yamaha.
“So let’s see what the future brings me.”
"It's going to be interesting"
Ogura was also reluctant to discuss the move in detail, which will see him step up to full factory status after two MotoGP seasons with Trackhouse.
“There are so many things so I'm not going to explain here. Just I saw this as a good thing for me, so that's why I decided,” said the Assen winner.
“How strong we can be, that's something we will know in the future.
“But as a Japanese rider it's really important to get a ride in a factory, especially for the Japanese brand.
“And also to have a strong teammate like Jorge is really important. It's going to be interesting.”
Despite Yamaha's current struggles, with Martin and Ogura sitting first and fourth in the standings respectively, the #1 plate could still appear on an M1 next season.
“Honestly, I don't really care now to be first, second, third, whatever,” Martin said of the championship standings. “I think it's anecdotal.
“The championship is quite open. Everybody is strong. You never know if you will be able to retain [the lead] for long. So I don't really look into it.
“I just want to continue my preparation with Aprilia.
“I could see in the last race I was still missing a lot of speed. For sure I started well, but the Trackhouse guys were much faster than me. So I need to improve my performance. And let's see if here we have the opportunity.”
Ogura, who is close enough to have a mathematical chance of taking the championship lead in Germany, insisted:
“Our target for this weekend is going to be in the top six. Sachsenring has always been a tricky one for me, and last year we struggled quite a lot here.”
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
