ASSEN, Netherlands — Ai Ogura believes rider error caused the rear ride height device problem that briefly threatened his victory in the Dutch Grand Prix before the Trackhouse Aprilia rider recovered to secure his maiden MotoGP win.
Ogura was chasing Aprilia riders Raul Fernandez and Jorge Martin during the closing stages at Assen when he suddenly ran wide at Turn 4 on lap 16 of 26. Television replays showed the rear ride height device remained engaged as he overshot the corner, forcing the Japanese rider to quickly recover before resuming his charge.
Despite the setback, Ogura regained his rhythm, reeled in both Fernandez and Martin, and overtook his fellow Aprilia riders to become the first Japanese rider to win a premier-class Grand Prix since Makoto Tamada triumphed at Motegi in 2004.
Speaking after the race, Ogura explained that he believes the malfunction was not caused by a technical failure but by accidentally activating the rear ride height device after Turn 1.
“Before I got that problem on the rear device, I was managing, and I could see the situation of Raul and Jorge,” Ogura said. “I said, ‘OK, there is a possibility.’ But then I got this problem, and the gap went up again.”
He admitted the incident left him concerned because it temporarily erased the advantage he had built while chasing the leaders.
“I was worried about that,” he said. “But my pace was good enough to catch them and overtake them, and even gap them at the end.”
Ogura explained that the rear ride height device is normally disengaged after Turn 1 but believes he inadvertently pressed the activation button again before reaching Turn 3.
“I activated the rear device at the last chicane, and you unlock the device at Turn 1,” he said. “Somehow, the rear device activated again between Turns 1 and 3. Probably, I touched the button somehow. I think that was a mistake from me. That was a scary one, but I didn’t lose so much time luckily.”
The victory elevated Ogura into the championship fight, leaving him only 16 points behind the series leader after becoming the newest MotoGP race winner.
However, the 24-year-old was reluctant to describe himself as a title contender despite the breakthrough success.
“I’ll keep doing my job in the next races,” Ogura said. “If it’s enough, I can be happy. But if they do something better, they are just better.”
Although he eventually crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of the field, Ogura admitted the closing laps were mentally demanding despite holding the fastest pace among the leading trio.
“I could see the situation they had, so I knew my pace was a little bit better than theirs,” he said. “I was not rushing. I was just doing my ride and the gap was getting bigger between me and them.”
He added that protecting the lead over the final laps was more stressful than enjoyable.
“Of course, that wasn’t a nice feeling because I felt like four or five laps were super long,” Ogura said.
Winning at Assen carried extra significance for Ogura, who has enjoyed success at the Dutch circuit throughout his career.
“For me, winning in Assen made it even more special because it’s one of my favourite tracks,” he said. “I won the race in Moto2 as well. So, I’m super happy to ride in front of all the fans in this place. When I crossed the line, it was just so much satisfaction.”
