MotoGP newcomer Ai Ogura made a strong first impression at the Thai Grand Prix, proving that he can compete with the best riders. Ogura surprised many in qualifying, securing an impressive fifth place for his debut race with Trackhouse Aprilia. He then followed it up with a fourth-place finish in the Sprint race and fifth place in the main race.

His performance in the main race was particularly outstanding. Although he finished 7.5 seconds behind race winner Marc Marquez, he maintained a comfortable seven-second gap ahead of Marco Bezzecchi. In fact, Ogura’s fifth-place finish was the best result for a rookie in their first Grand Prix since Marc Marquez reached the podium in Qatar in 2013.

Learning from the Best

Ogura credited part of his success to Francesco Bagnaia, as he closely observed how the reigning champion managed his tyres during the Sprint race on Saturday.

"In this hot weather, I actually have an advantage because I think it’s harder for other riders. I don’t feel the heat as much," Ogura explained in an interview with Motorsport.com.
"But the biggest challenge for me was learning how to take care of my tyres."

Following Bagnaia in the Sprint gave Ogura valuable insights.

"I learned a lot from Pecco and just copied what I saw in the main race. My pace was quite good all the way to the end," he added.

When asked about tyre wear in the Grand Prix, Ogura admitted that the last six or seven laps were challenging but manageable.

"The tyres wore out just as I expected. It was difficult, but not a bad surprise, so I was able to handle it."

Staying Focused

Ogura’s impressive performance in the Sprint race drew praise from many in the paddock, but he remained grounded before Sunday’s main event.

"After the Sprint, my crew reminded me that a 13-lap race is very different from a full-distance race," he said. "But even with the longer distance, we were still competitive, and that makes me happy."

He also believes that his experience racing in Asia helped him handle the extreme heat better than some of his competitors.

"I did a lot of races in Asia when I competed in the Asia Talent Cup. Maybe that helped," Ogura told Crash.net.

With a debut like this, Ai Ogura has already proven he is a rookie to watch in MotoGP.