Ai Ogura, the young Japanese rider who has been the surprise of the season, sits just 37 points behind the championship leader with 10 rounds to go. However, his crash at the British Grand Prix highlighted one key area he must improve: knowing when to attack and when to manage tyres.
Trackhouse Racing team principal Davide Brivio believes Ogura needs to find the right balance between aggression and tyre preservation to challenge for the 2026 MotoGP title. Ogura, one of the main contenders for Aprilia alongside factory riders Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi, has shown remarkable consistency throughout the season.
But his first major mistake of the year came at Silverstone, where he crashed after starting from the front row. That incident cost him valuable points, not only to Martin who finished second, but also to Bezzecchi, who moved back ahead of him in the standings.
Ogura admitted his approach at the start of the race was too conservative. "In the early stages, I wanted to make sure the tyres were okay and would last for the final five laps. But perhaps I was too conservative. The way I approached the race was wrong this time," he said after the race.
Brivio agreed. In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, he explained that Ogura is very good at managing tyres, as seen last year. "He was always quick in the final laps. Even at the start of this year, in the last seven, eight, or ten laps, he always has the pace of the top four. But sometimes he's 12th and far from the positions that matter, so it goes unnoticed if you don't study the lap times carefully," Brivio said.
Qualifying was previously seen as Ogura's biggest weakness, but since the Czech Grand Prix in June, he has improved his qualifying performance and scored his maiden win at Assen. Now, the only chink in his armour is tyre management, and Brivio stressed that Ogura must learn when to start attacking.
"There have been occasions when he started this process too late, in the sense that he could have attacked a little earlier. But he is learning, and this is part of his development as a rider," Brivio added. With the competition getting tighter, Ogura's ability to adapt will determine whether he can keep his title hopes alive until the end of the season.
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