Trackhouse Racing's Ai Ogura will miss a second consecutive round of the MotoGP championship, as the Japanese rider has been ruled out of the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano due to injury.
The news effectively ends Ogura's title bid. Third in the standings and 37 points adrift after Silverstone a month ago, he slipped to fifth after skipping Aragon and is set to drop further before his return.
Ogura sustained a fractured left thumb while riding motocross in Japan, requiring surgery upon returning to Europe—a procedure he had initially hoped to avoid. Despite pushing to be fit for Misano, the latest medical assessment in Barcelona on Tuesday evening confirmed he is not yet sufficiently healed to ride.
Trackhouse, bound by regulations to field a replacement, says it has "no option" but to run only Raul Fernandez this weekend. Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori, who stepped in for Ogura at Aragon at extremely short notice, is unavailable for Misano.
Based on precedent, the team is unlikely to face sanctions for not substituting Ogura, who now targets a return at the Austrian Grand Prix next weekend.
Amid this setback, Ogura's future remains bright. He will leave Trackhouse at season's end to join the factory Yamaha squad, with Enea Bastianini taking over his seat. For now, the priority is full recovery to return competitive.
Read Also
Marc Marquez reaches 130 MotoGP podiums after winning in Aragon, breaking the Spanish record. Surpasses Lorenzo (114) and Pedrosa (112).
Marc Marquez expects Misano to be more challenging than Aragon, while Francesco Bagnaia is determined to bounce back in his final home race with Ducati.
Luca Marini reveals how Valentino Rossi's MotoGP success inspired him, and how he handles the pressure of being a legend's brother.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!