Trackhouse Racing’s Bold Move: How Ai Ogura’s Talent and Global Appeal Sealed the Deal for a 2025 MotoGP Ride

Trackhouse MotoGP manager discloses crucial elements behind Ai Ogura's recruitment

Justin Marks explains the rationale for bringing Ai Ogura on board

An enthusiastic Justin Marks, who owns Trackhouse Racing, has revealed the reasons behind the American MotoGP team's decision to bring Ai Ogura on board for the 2025 season.

Before the Austrian Grand Prix took place last weekend, Trackhouse revealed that they had secured a two-year contract with Moto2 championship contender Ogura to compete for their satellite Aprilia team.

In a surprising turn of events, Ogura has emerged as a strong candidate for the seat in recent weeks, defying the widespread expectation that he was set to make his MotoGP debut with LCR Honda whenever he chose to advance to the next level.

The Japanese rider is taking the place of Miguel Oliveira, who is moving to Pramac, and will team up with Raul Fernandez, forming a relatively youthful lineup for Aprilia.

Discussing the choice, Marks mentioned that picking Fernandez’s colleague took a considerable amount of time, but Ogura had several distinguishing factors.

He expressed excitement about him becoming part of the team.

"It took us a considerable amount of time to decide on the future composition of our team of riders."

"Working with Raul was quite easy; he's making significant progress, getting familiar with the bike, and collaborating effectively with the team."

"For our second rider, many elements influenced our choice. We considered numerous possibilities and were impressed by Ai's skill, commitment, speed this season, and concentration."

"From a business perspective, having one rider to represent Asia and another to represent Europe is beneficial."

“All things considered, it met many of our criteria, and as a team, we're very optimistic and enthusiastic about Ogura’s potential, opportunities, and future.”

Despite Oliveira’s impending departure at the year's end, Marks maintains that the five-time grand prix victor's expertise will continue to be crucial for Aprilia’s motorcycle development throughout the rest of the season.

He mentioned that with all the mid-season transfers occurring, it's natural to start considering the prospects and challenges for the upcoming year.

"Nevertheless, the racing season is far from over. There remains much to discover about the Aprilia motorcycles, and plenty of competition lies ahead."

"Miguel is a remarkably skilled and well-liked, seasoned rider with a track record of success."

"I believe there's still much we can learn from him this year. Clearly, he possesses incredible speed and has already made it to the podium in a sprint race this season."

“There’s still much at stake and numerous races ahead. Our goal is to be strong collaborators with Aprilia, aiding in the bike’s development alongside the Aprilia factory team, with Oliveira playing a significant role in this effort. Therefore, there’s plenty to strive for.”

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