Ai Ogura has declared himself a serious contender for the MotoGP world title after moving up to second place in the championship standings with second place in the German Grand Prix.
The Japanese rider has truly come of age in his second year as a MotoGP rider, with the result at the Sachsenring marking his fifth consecutive finish inside the top four. The highlight of that run, which dates back to the Italian Grand Prix in May, was his first victory at Assen last time out.
Second place in Saxony helped the Trackhouse Aprilia rider move from fourth to second in the standings, 14 points behind factory rider Jorge Aprilia. Encouragingly for the 2024 Moto2 world champion, Martin's performance level is currently lower than Ogura's.
Asked after the race whether he was a genuine title contender, the always candid Ogura replied: "I mean, yes, definitely. We are in a good position in the championship and in the last three races we could be really strong. So yes, our target will be to keep working like this."
Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Much more talkative than he had been during his press conference with monosyllabic answers on Thursday, Ogura also gave a confident assessment of his personal performances over the first half of 2026: "I can really rate my first half of the season highly. I mean, 10 out of 10. I did not expect to be this strong this year."
However, Ogura remains wary of the competition heading into the second half of the season.
"You know, the conditions change and the guys who are fast at [a certain] circuit change and it is really difficult to deal with all that situation, I think," he said. "So yes, our task will be to do the same thing every time and see where we can finish."
The 25-year-old expects to spend his summer break in a much quieter environment than a MotoGP paddock – which should help him reset for the battle ahead.
"I don't know, riding and fishing probably," he replied when asked about his plans for the break. "The aim will be to try to come back as neutral as possible."
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Source: Motorsport