Ai Ogura: MotoGps American dream in Japanese hands

Ai Ogura: MotoGps American dream in Japanese hands

The stars of the Motogp Rel = "NOFOLLOW" TARGET = "_ blank" https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/sport/max-verstappen-bull-instagram-liam-lawson-yuki-tsunoda-tex.html "> Formula 1 Pot drivers almost pull on a helmet before they can run properly and sit on a small motorcycle. While many are inspired by a racing driver dad or an older brother, the striking Japanese rookie star Ai Ogura found an unusual muse: his big sister Karen.

The inspiration by the great sister

"My sister started earlier than me. She started with a pocket bike when she was three years old," says Ogura cnn sports . "So it is a distance of two years between us. When I was small, I had no interest in MotoGP or other races, I didn't even watch her on TV. That's why I didn't have idols like Valentino Rossi or Casey Stoner. My sister was the one I looked at."

The competition between siblings

ogura grew up in Kiyose, a suburb of the Tokyo. His father ran at the amateur level, which is why the family spent a lot of time with racing. "Every weekend my sister, my father, my mother and I went to the racetrack, we were normal people," reports Ogura. Inevitably, the young Ai even started racing with his sister Karen. "We gathered a lot together, especially in the pocket bike time. We were in the same class and she always won. That is not a good memory for me, but for her," laughs the 24-year-old.

from amateur to professional

Karen Ogura celebrated success as a professional driver and finally competed in Moto America in the USA. Ai, on the other hand, found his chance in the young classes of the MotoGP, starting with the Asia Talent Cup, followed by the Red Bull Rookies Cup, then Moto3 and Moto2. In the penultimate racing class, Ogura attracted the attention of a rather unlikely top team.

The surprising entry of Trackhouse

When the renowned Nascar team Trackhouse announced just a few weeks before the start of the season 2024 that it would start the MotoGP, this surprised many. Supported by rapper Pitbull Stars-and-Stripes designs wanted to bring the American flair team to the international motorcycle racing class.

The choice of the right driver

After a respectable but unspectacular first season, many expected that the Nashville-based team would strengthen its American identity and bring the promising Californians Joe Roberts on board for 2025. But Justin Marks, the former Nascar driver and team boss of Trackhouse, was instead interested in probing the field. "We wanted to bring someone we can build up who can grow with the team and stay with us for a long time," Marks told CNN.

a risky company

ogura seemed to have talent and temperament in order to be successful in the intensely challenging MotoGP class, but Davide Brivio, the experienced team boss of Trackhouse, admits that it was a risk. "You rely on someone who drives in Moto2. There is no way to test in the MotoGP. You cannot make a rating. You have to trust the potential," explains the Italian. Ogura signed in the middle of the 2024 season at Trackhouse and promptly won the title in Moto2, which seemed to confirm the team's decision.

a new perspective in the MotoGP

The change from Moto2 to the rough, state -of -the -art and often ruthless motorcycles of the MotoGP can be large, but Ogura didn't seem a bit nervous. In his debut race, the 2025 season start at the hot Chang International Circuit in Thailand, he qualified in fifth place and finished fifth in the sprint race and fifth in the main race. "For me, it is as much as the other categories.

an emotional experience

Nevertheless, Ogura admits that his first appearance among his new MotoGP competitors was a "moment to toast". "The first days of the official test drives in Sepang were something very special for me," he says with a smile. "When I saw Marc Márquez and other big names, it was an emotional moment because I share the route with all these big drivers." But he quickly switched to the competition again. "Now I am one of the MotoGP drivers and I have to be better than everyone else. So I'm now a little quieter on the track."

growth potential in the USA

for Trackhouse, the success of her Japanese rookies was a pleasant surprise, but both Brivio and Marks emphasize that this is a long -term project. After Pitbull in February announced his retreat from the project on Social Media, Marks sees a brilliant future for his team and MotoGP sport in the USA, especially when Liberty Media's takeover offer is finally ratified for MotoGP. "There is great growth potential in the USA. If you can do it, it will play a major role in your strategy to expand it in the United States and develop globally," says Marks.

As far as Ogura's home country is concerned, the young driver from Tokyo hopes that he and his compatriots can increase the profile of MotoGP again, especially in the home of some of the most iconic manufacturers of sport. "There are many good Japanese motorcyclists, so maybe it's time to do something," says Ogura with a smile.