Moto2 Champion Reveals Driving Force That Led Him To Secure A 2025 MotoGP Seat

Saajan Jogia | Jan 2, 2025

Apr 14, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Jorge Martin (89) of Spain and Prima Pramac Racing and Maverick Vinales (12) of Spain and Aprilia Racing rides during the MotoGP Grand Prix of The Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Ai Ogura shared the driving force behind his Moto2 championship as he prepares to step up to the MotoGP class in 2025. With six career race wins, all in the Moto2 class, Ogura remains tied to Honda's legacy despite currently being contracted with Aprilia's satellite outfit, Trackhouse Racing. Having been mentored through the 'Road to MotoGP' program by Honda, he became the first Japanese rider to clinch a Grand Prix title since his former Honda Team Asia boss, Hiroshi Aoyama, secured the 2009 250cc World Championship.

For Ogura, the story behind his maiden title followed two failed championship attempts, one during his Moto3 days in 2020, and the other in the 2022 Moto2 season. Despite the championship victory last year, the 23-year-old rider was humble enough to acknowledge that he was not the fastest, but was aware that he could achieve his goal through hard work. Speaking on his motivation, Ogura said in his World Champion’s press conference in Thailand last year:

“I know how I am. I’m not one of the fastest, I feel that I’ve got not really super talent, but if you work really hard I believe I can get this thing, and or whatever; I know in myself that, if it happens it’s nice, but it’s a very low possibility.

“I was just dreaming for this ‘number one in the world’. I mean, maybe only for that year, but to get this title is what [wanting] for all my career.”

He added:

“The biggest target in my racing career was to get a World Championship title, it doesn’t matter [if it’s] Moto3, Moto2, or MotoGP.

“So, after I lost two championships — one in Moto3 (2020), one in 2022 in Moto2 — I was just only dreaming about this title.

“I don’t start well this season, [Sergio] Garcia had much more points than me, but I was not really worried about the championship. Even finishing sixth or seventh, we knew our potential that we can win the race, we can finish on the podium every race if we work in the correct way.

“This started to show up, I won in Catalunya and everything was going well, but I got a fracture in Austria and after that I think for me Misano 2 (Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix) was huge.

“I still had pain, but I won the race and I could make the team motivated one more step, and in the last part of the season we finished many times on the podium and just controlling [the championship].

“It was not the perfect year, but a super-nice season.”