Ai Ogura celebrates first MotoGP victory in Assen, ending 22-year drought for Japanese riders

Bezzecchi's crash on lap two

For the Italian, who had opened the season perfectly with three consecutive wins, the exit came at the worst possible time. Bezzecchi had arrived at the Dutch Grand Prix as championship leader. Race control issued an initial all-clear regarding potential injuries after the crash; „immerhin gab es in Sachen Verletzungen kurz nach dem Rennen eine erste Entwarnung", the report continued. However, the actual state of the Aprilia rider's health initially remained unclear.

At the front of the field, Martin, Fernandez, and Ogura were locked in a three-way battle that shaped the race over 26 laps. „20 Runden lang führte Pole-Setter Jorge Martin das Rennen im niederländischen Assen vor den beiden SuperFile-Trackhouse-Piloten Ai Ogura und Raul Fernandez an", the report says. KTM rider Pedro Acosta had to retire early due to physical issues. It was only when nine laps from the finish both Trackhouse Aprilias got past Martin that the balance of power finally tipped.

Three-way battle at the front

In the closing stages, Martin then had to let his teammate Raul Fernandez go as well. „Wenige Sekunden später liess ihn auch Fernandez, Sprintsieger vom Vortag, hinter sich", the report describes. Fernandez had already won Saturday's sprint race in Assen, but on Sunday ultimately had to give way to his own teammate. „Ogura ließ im Finish schließlich noch seinen Teamkollegen stehen" – with this final attack, the Japanese rider secured the day's victory.

„Ai Ogura gewinnt das MotoGP-Rennen in Assen (NED) vor Sprintsieger Raul Fernandez. Es ist sein erster Sieg in der MotoGP", the official race report summarizes the result. With that, the Japanese rider celebrated his first Grand Prix victory in the premier class – a historic moment. „Er siegte in der Königsklasse als erster Japaner seit Makato Tamada vor 22 Jahren", the sporting milestone is placed in context.

Historic first victory

Tamada's last MotoGP win dates from 2004, when he triumphed at Motegi. Since then, no Japanese rider had finished a Grand Prix of motorcycle racing at the very top of the podium. Ogura broke that long drought with a cool-headed closing phase, taking the lead in the final corner. Both Trackhouse Aprilias ended up at the very front – a first in the team's history.

Behind the leading pair, Jorge Martin finished third and collected 16 championship points. „Übernahm Martin dank den 16 Punkten für den 3. Platz aber dennoch", the report notes regarding the championship implications. Because while Bezzecchi came away empty-handed and Acosta failed to finish, Martin gathered enough points to overtake his teammate in the overall standings.

Martin takes championship lead

In the championship table, Jorge Martin now leads with 193 points ahead of Bezzecchi (186). With a break after the Assen weekend, action resumes next weekend at the Sachsenring. „Am nächsten Wochenende haben die MotoGP-Fahrer Pause, danach geht es weiter in Deutschland", the report looks ahead.

At the German circuit, the sprint race is scheduled first on Saturday, 11 July; „am Tag darauf das Hauptrennen". Both races will be broadcast in Switzerland by SRF, as the report adds: „Beide Rennen können Sie bei SRF sehen." Carrying the momentum of his maiden victory, Ai Ogura travels to the second half of the season as one of the favourites.

Outlook on the Sachsenring

Bezzecchi had started the current season perfectly with three wins, but had since had to absorb setbacks: „Erst schied er beim Rennen in Ungarn aus, eine Woche später brannten ihm nach dem Ausscheiden im Sprintrennen die Sicherungen durch und er wurde in Brünn (CZE) fürs Hauptrennen gesperrt", the report lists the negative experiences. He had also won his home Grand Prix in Italy. With the exit in Assen, the Italian now loses the championship lead to his stablemate.

For Jorge Martin, third place in Assen represents a measure of consolation. After leading the race for a long time, the win slipped away from him, but he strengthened his position in the standings. The fact that it was precisely the Trackhouse teammates who settled the race between themselves underlines the strength of the Aprilia camp this season.

Attention now turns to the Sachsenring. Ai Ogura will travel as the first Japanese premier-class winner in 22 years and command great attention. Martin travels to Germany as the new championship leader, Bezzecchi as a pursuer with a significant gap and the question of how his body has coped with the Assen crash. „Später konnte er auch das Heimrennen in Italien für sich entscheiden", the report recalls Bezzecchi's comeback qualities – but the next attempt follows only in two weeks.

Pedro Acosta, who had to retire early from the Assen race, should also be recovered by the next round. The summer heat in the Netherlands had apparently taken a particular toll on the KTM rider. The MotoGP field therefore remains in flux ahead of the German break – competitively as well as in the standings.