Ai Ogura has made it clear that improving his qualifying performance is the main objective heading into his second MotoGP season, even though he is not setting specific results targets for 2026.
The former Moto2 world champion endured a challenging rookie campaign with Trackhouse Aprilia, recording an average starting position of 16th on the grid. Despite that, Ogura showed flashes of outstanding potential, most notably on his MotoGP debut in Buriram, where he qualified fifth and went on to deliver the strongest rookie performance since Marc Marquez with fourth place in the Sprint and fifth in the Thai Grand Prix.
Ogura’s season was later disrupted by crashes and injuries, but he has now returned to full fitness and is ready to begin pre-season testing at Sepang from February 3 to 4.
Speaking after the unveiling of Trackhouse’s new race liveries, Ogura said he feels more confident on the bike after gaining valuable experience during his rookie year. He believes things will be more under control in 2026 and stressed the importance of the opening test in addressing his main weakness.
Ogura explained that while race pace was often competitive last season, poor grid positions made life difficult on Sundays. As a result, qualifying has become a major focus for the team during testing, with the aim of consistently starting closer to the front.
Although he is not chasing a specific championship position or result, Ogura says his goal for 2026 is simple: to give his maximum effort in every race and improve his performance across the season.
Ogura and team-mate Raul Fernandez will race in Gulf colours at five rounds this year, including the season-opening Thai Grand Prix from February 27 to March 1.
