He’s gloating—and how! Davide Brivio enjoyed a dream weekend at Assen with his pair of riders, the undisputed stars at the TT circuit. On Saturday, Raul Fernandez took the win, while on Sunday it was Ai Ogura’s turn—he was simply overwhelming as he brought the Japanese flag back to the top step of the podium.
What can one say about this Trackhous team, which is on the verge of becoming a rival right under the very nose of the Aprilia factory team?
For sure, the team led by the Italian team manager has made giant strides and is now reaping the rewards of what it has sown over the years.
“For me and the whole team, it’s like a dream,” he said, “especially for a non-factory team—finishing first and second is something you only imagine in your dreams. On Saturday, after the Sprint race, we already thought we’d had a special weekend, but then it also happened in the main race—the one that matters most. It’s incredible for so many reasons. We’re a young team, the last one to arrive in the paddock. We signed Ogura as a rookie and Fernandez, who has enormous talent and great potential. We tried to put him in a position where he could perform at his best. Aprilia did an extraordinary job developing the bike; the team, the engineers, the mechanics—everyone made a vital contribution. Today, there are so many people to thank.”
What did Trackhouse do better than the official Aprilia team this weekend?
“It’s important to understand that we have the same equipment and share all information. Our engineers consult with Aprilia’s engineers daily, so there’s complete openness. I believe that this weekend, our riders simply made the difference. They found a way to be faster. Especially Ogura, but also Raul, who has made a huge improvement compared to last year. I think they were the ones who found a way to get the most out of the package we have. There’s nothing we do better than the factory team—we simply try to give it our all every time we hit the track.”
Raul has said several times that you’ve helped him a lot during difficult times. Ogura seems like a bit of an enigma to many. What’s it like working with him?
“Honestly, Ai is one of the best riders I’ve ever worked with. There aren’t many I’d put on that level, but he’s definitely among them. When Trackhouse decided to sign him, there were some doubts, but we’ve always believed in his enormous potential. He’s Japanese and has a very methodical approach: he learns step by step. Lately, I’ve seen an extremely intelligent young man, always focused on understanding and learning. I’ve never seen him bite off more than he can chew. After last year’s injury, we had to start practically from scratch, but his approach has always remained the same. He isn’t explosive, but he’s constantly improving, drawing on his accumulated experience and knowledge. In my opinion, he’s a role model for many young Asian riders. We’ve seen so many riders come through the Asia Talent Cup and dream of MotoGP: I believe Ai can be a great source of inspiration for them.”
Is Ogura developing the way you expected?
“Yes, because he’s a very intelligent rider and is making the most of his potential. Credit is also due to Aprilia, because the technical package has allowed us to reach this level. The development work done since the second half of last season has been enormous. We’ve seen an impressive improvement. Ogura is simply trying to make the most of everything he has at his disposal. The same goes for Raul. They’re very close in terms of performance: Raul won on Saturday, Ogura on Sunday. This means that both have reached an excellent level with this technical package.”
You’ve won with three different manufacturers—Yamaha, Suzuki, and Aprilia. How do you do it?
“I don’t know… maybe I’m just lucky! But yes, I’m very happy. Maybe another manufacturer will join the list in the future— who knows? (smiles)”
So Raul has earned his contract renewal…
“I’m less directly involved in these discussions now. Maybe it’s interesting to look back at the project. When Trackhouse entered MotoGP, we decided that Raul could become the team leader, the main rider, the one with the experience needed to get results. Even during difficult times, the entire paddock has always recognized his talent and potential. At the same time, we wanted to revitalize the project by bringing in a rookie, and we chose Ai Ogura. The idea was to develop another top-level rider. Last year, things slowed down a bit: we thought Raul would be ready right away, but instead we went through a difficult phase. But in the end, we bounced back. Raul secured Sprint podiums, a podium in the main race, and a victory. This year, we’re seeing that project come to fruition: having two riders capable of fighting for the podium. Winning is always a dream, but the goal was to have two riders who are consistently competitive. Now we’ve reached that point, and in the second half of the season we’ll try to have fun and make the most of our full potential to see what happens.”
Your riders are now dreaming of the World Championship…
“If you look at the standings, there are probably ten or twelve riders still in the running. I was just talking about this this past weekend, since we saw Marc Marquez make up 62 points in just two GPs. Something like that gives everyone hope, even those who are 100 points behind, because anything can always happen, and mentally, it changes everything. Before, when riders were 50 or 60 points behind, many thought it was over. Not anymore. I think the championship is much more wide open. As long as the math hasn’t ruled you out, everyone can dream. And it’s great that it’s like that.”
Right now, do you need to push the riders or maybe calm them down?
“There’s no need to calm Ogura down; he’s already very calm by nature. With Raul, on the other hand, I think he did a great job yesterday. He was very upset about losing pole position, which I think he deserved. We went over the line by just a few millimeters, and the disappointment was intense. But we managed to turn that anger into positive energy. We told him, ‘You’re starting fourth; you have great pace; you’re competitive. You’re not starting twelfth.’ And sure enough, he won. I’m very happy with how he’s growing mentally as well.”
Does this Trackhouse team remind you a bit of 2020? A young team, capable of surprising everyone…
“Honestly, I hadn’t thought about that. Right now, I don’t even dare to dream of a world title. There are so many very strong riders in the running. But it’s nice to see what will happen. We certainly aren’t giving up. Today we knew we had a chance to win, and we went out on the track to play our cards right. The great thing about this season is that every weekend, we get to Thursday knowing we have a real chance to do well. We’re not there by accident. We didn’t make it to the podium because it was raining or because someone crashed. That’s just how sports go: one time you finish fifteenth, another time fifth, another time third. But every weekend we can head out on the track knowing we have a chance. I just want to give an example”…
Sure…
“Take Fernandez, for example: last week he was sick; he even had to have surgery. We’d almost written off two weekends. Then we brought home fifteen points. That’s how we think: we’ll keep racking up results and take stock at the end of the year. Days like this, though, are the ones that really make it fun.”
Do you think you’re becoming the new Pramac of 2023–2024?
“I don’t know. Pramac has inspired many independent teams, just as VR46 did in 2023 or Gresini did last year. These are examples that show how even a non-factory team can achieve significant results. Every now and then, it’s a different team’s turn. Let’s hope this year is ours. Today we had a dream weekend—something I never would have imagined. We’re enjoying it; we had a little celebration, and we’ll cherish this memory forever. But now it’s time to focus on the Sachsenring.”