Ai Ogura will step up from Moto2 to MotoGP in 2025 after signing a multi-year deal with Trackhouse Racing.
So it’s official – Trackhouse Racing MotoGP’s line-up in 2025 and 2026 will be Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez as the American-based team have confirmed the signature of the Japanese Moto2 star on a two-year deal, with both set to race factory-spec Aprilia RS-GPs.
Ogura is 23 years old and calls Kiyose, Japan, home. His progression through the junior series of motorcycle racing’s ladder has been consistently strong and right now, sees him challenging for the Moto2 World Championship, currently 2nd place in the standings with two wins so far this season.
Ogura’s promise, through his career to date and especially the progress he has made with his riding this season, in the MT Helmets MSI Moto2 team, made him a standout rider for the future to Team Principal, Davide Brivio and Team Owner, Justin Marks. The move to sign Ogura to the team follows Justin’s ambition to make Trackhouse a destination for rising talent and create the opportunity for success on the racetrack.
Together with current rider, Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing will run two young, ambitious, talents on the same Aprilia RS-GP motorcycles as the Aprilia Racing team – ensuring that there are four identical bikes from the Noale factory challenging for the MotoGP World Championship in the coming two seasons.
Ogura’s home country, Japan, has a rich motorsport history and his path to a seat in the Trackhouse MotoGP Team is a story of starting out, like many of the young Japanese riders, on pocket-bikes and then mini-bikes before graduating to full road racing equipment. In Ogura’s case, the first rung of the MotoGP ladder was the Asia Talent Cup where he made his debut in 2015 – taking a victory in that first season.
Having secured 2nd place in the Asia Talent Cup in 2016, Ogura moved to Europe in 2017 and competed for two seasons in the FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship. In 2018, he also debuted in the full Moto3 World Championship and completed two full seasons in the category, finishing 3rd overall in 2020. Moving to the last graduation step ahead of the premier class, Ogura joined the Moto2 class in 2021, had a shot at winning the Championship in 2022 and is currently showing strong pace in 2024.
Trackhouse Racing MotoGP Team is looking forward to starting work with Ogura, after the conclusion of this season and helping him develop as he embarks on his entry into the MotoGP class from 2025.
Ai Ogura – Trackhouse Racing MotoGP rider for 2025: “First, I would like to say thanks to all the people who are part of this project and everybody who supported me. Of course, this is the dream! The final step to take. MotoGP is the maximum level you can have, so I’m obviously really happy to make it there. I’m very happy to be able to race in the top class and I can’t wait to do it together with Trackhouse Racing MotoGP Team.
“I can see that the team is really competitive and the bike is very strong and as a rider my job is doing what I can with everything I have. It’s always the same mentality but I’m very happy to be part of Trackhouse and make this step up to MotoGP with them – I’m just looking forward to start 2025. Now I have to think about the Moto2 World Championship. I’ll try to finish this year the best way I can and arrive well prepared in 2025. Thank you everybody and see you next year!“
Davide Brivio – Team Principal: “Welcome Ai – we are excited to have finalized the opportunity to start a new project with Ai, one of the most talented riders in Moto2. We appreciate his riding style, his resilience during races and we feel Ai has the potential to become a great MotoGP rider. While we will work to develop Trackhouse Team as a MotoGP project, we will simultaneously work to give Ai the tools to express his talent and grow as much as possible.
“I think that with Raul, as the young but experienced rider and Ai, as the new growing talent, Trackhouse has secured a strong rider line-up for the future. It’s going to be an exciting time ahead but first we all want to keep our focus on what we are doing now, our own championship and trying to finish at the best possible result, before to start our journey together. Thank you, Miguel – we have been together for a short time but we could see and appreciate Miguel’s talent, experience and working attitude inside the Team.
“It’s a pity to have to take the decision to part ways at the end of the year but, as we have not yet exploited Miguel’s potential with this Aprilia, it’s really too early for us to say ‘thank you’ now. With so many more races giving the opportunity to try for good results, we just want to keep our heads down, try to finish this season together on a high and then we will be able, hopefully, to take our time to celebrate success and this time we have had together and say ‘thank you Miguel’. But that is to come – later on….”
Justin Marks – Team Owner: “We’re excited to welcome to the house a young and very promising talent in Ai Ogura. He has demonstrated his preparation and commitment to winning in Moto2 and is ready for the step up to the MotoGP class. We’re looking forward to working with him and supporting him as he learns the Aprilia bike and the incredible competition at the top level of international motorcycle racing. Trackhouse Racing MotoGP was created to serve as the global expansion initiative of the Trackhouse brand.
“It’s truly exciting that we now have an athlete roster across our teams that represents Mexico, USA, Spain, New Zealand, and now Japan. Trackhouse values deeply the work and effort Miguel has put in this year, our first in MotoGP. His willingness to work with new ownership and extract the most from the Aprilia RS-GP24 this season has been a tremendous help as Trackhouse establishes itself in the championship. We wish him the best in 2025 and beyond, and look forward to continued success as we finish the 2024 season.”
[Note: The story is as per press release]