Ai Ogura's Sepang Sprint Simulation: A Mix of Progress and Unmet Expectations!
While Ai Ogura expressed a sense of dissatisfaction with his recent Sepang MotoGP Sprint simulation, there's a silver lining: he's feeling increasingly at home with Aprilia's cutting-edge 2026 RS-GP machine. This sentiment, however, is tempered by a feeling that he could have achieved more during the crucial long-run practice. Ogura, a rider for Trackhouse, secured 12th place overall, clocking in 0.924 seconds behind the fastest rider, Alex Marquez on a Gresini Ducati, and 0.8 seconds behind the factory Aprilia benchmark, Marco Bezzecchi.
Despite a lingering cold affecting him on the final day of testing, Ogura candidly admitted, "I expected to go a few tenths faster in the long run, but I couldn’t." He elaborated on the challenge of perfectly synchronizing his riding style with the new bike. "I have a good feeling with the new bike," he shared. "Even if I'm riding at the same lap time whether I'm on the ‘26 or ’25, I have a better feeling on ’26." Yet, he noted, "to make that last extra push wasn't really easy."
When pressed about where he's losing time to Bezzecchi, Ogura pinpointed high-speed sections as the key differentiator. "He just carries more speed," Ogura explained. "I think he can turn like me, but with higher speed." The team is already planning to address this in their next outing. "Thailand is a different type of track, but we will work on it in Thailand."
But here's where it gets interesting... The upcoming final pre-season MotoGP test in Buriram, Thailand, on February 21–22, holds particular significance for Ogura. It's the very track where he achieved his best premier-class results to date last year: a 4th place in the Sprint and a 5th place in the Grand Prix during his debut. Will he be able to translate his improved feeling with the Aprilia into a stronger performance on a track that has previously been kind to him?
This situation raises a compelling question: Is the rider's innate feeling with a new bike more important than immediate lap times in pre-season testing, or should the focus be solely on raw performance? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!
