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It's official, Japanese Ai Ogura will be riding the Trackhouse team's Aprilia RSGP from next year alongside the already confirmed Raul Fernandez. A young lineup for the Aprilia satellite team, which thus safes with a two-year contract the talent of the Japanese rider, who was strongly desired by Honda already in the past years and who had brought him to the minor championships. From next year, Aprilia will therefore enter the grid with a renewed lineup, having replaced as many as three out of four riders.
The 23-year-old from Kiyose, who had already fought for the title in Moto2 in 2022 by finishing second, net of two seasonal victories is now fighting for the title against Spaniard Garcia with a gap of 18 points.
"First of all, I would like to thank all the people who are part of this project and everyone who has supported me," said Ai Ogura, " Of course, this is the dream! The final step to take. MotoGP is the highest level you can have, so I'm obviously very happy to get there. I'm very happy to be able to race in the premier class and I'm looking forward to doing it together with the Trackhouse Racing MotoGP Team. I see that the team is really competitive and the bike is very strong, and as a rider my job is to do what I can with everything I have. The mentality is still the same, but I am very happy to be part of Trackhouse and to take this step to MotoGP with them - I am looking forward to 2025. Now I have to think about the Moto2 World Championship. I will try to finish this year in the best possible way and arrive well prepared for 2025. Thank you all and see you next year!"
"Welcome Ai, we are thrilled to have concluded the opportunity to start a new project with Ai, one of the most talented riders in Moto2," added Team Principal Davide Brivio, " We appreciate his riding style, his endurance during races and we believe Ai has the potential to become a great MotoGP rider. While we will work to develop the Trackhouse Team as a MotoGP project, we will simultaneously work to give Ai the tools to express his talent and grow as much as possible. I believe that with Raul, young but experienced, and Ai, a new talent on the rise, Trackhouse has secured a strong rider lineup for the future. We have an exciting time ahead of us, but first we want to focus on what we are doing now, our championship, and try to achieve the best possible result before we start our journey together."
The team principal then spent a few words for Miguel Oliveira, who will leave the team at the end of the season.
"Thank you, Miguel, we have been together for a short time but we could see and appreciate Miguel's talent, experience and attitude to work within the team. It is unfortunate that we have to make the decision to part ways at the end of the year but, as we have not yet tapped Miguel's potential with this Aprilia, it is really too early to say 'thank you' to him now. With so many more races giving us the opportunity to try to get good results, we just want to keep our heads down, try to finish this season together as best we can and then we will be able, hopefully, to take the time to celebrate the success and the time we have spent together and say 'thank you Miguel.' But that will happen later...."
"We are thrilled to welcome a promising young talent like Ai Ogura to the house," concluded Justin Marks, team owner. " He has proven his preparation and commitment to winning in Moto2 and is ready for the transition to the MotoGP class. We look forward to working with him and supporting him in learning the Aprilia motorcycle and the incredible competition at the highest level of international motorcycling. Trackhouse Racing MotoGP was created as a global expansion initiative for the Trackhouse brand. It's really exciting that we now have a roster of athletes on our teams representing Mexico, the United States, Spain, New Zealand, and now Japan."
Then on Miguel Oliveira: "Trackhouse deeply appreciates the work and commitment Miguel has put in this year, our first in MotoGP. His willingness to work with the new ownership and get the most out of the Aprilia RS-GP24 this season has been enormously helpful in Trackhouse's establishment in the championship. We wish him the best for 2025 and beyond, and look forward to continued success during the 2024 season."
Automatic Translation by DeepL
