Ai Ogura admits the fact that his best result of his rookie MotoGP season came in his first race is “killing me” because it led to a lot of doubts about his potential.

The 2024 Moto2 world champion was something of a surprise signing by Trackhouse Aprilia, but came out of the gates strongly in the opening round of the 2025 campaign in Thailand.

Ai Ogura achieved a brace of top five finishes, including a fifth in the main race, at Buriram and looked a shoo-in for the rookie of the year prize after a handful of solid results to start the year.

But the Japanese rider never built on the highs of Thailand, with numerous injuries and a general lack of form hindering him until the final few races.

Reflecting on his first year in MotoGP, Ogura says his strong start in Thailand didn’t provide the confidence boost it should have done.

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“It was quite the opposite,” he explained.

“And that’s killing me, because my best result was in my first race: it was something special.

“And in the following races I started to wonder if that was my true potential or not… But the last race went quite well, and there were also several top 10 finishes.”

Ogura added: “During this season, at one point, I thought maybe I wasn’t good enough, but then I started riding the bike well.

“After the injury, especially during the difficult times, I had doubts.

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“But in the last two grand prix, I’ve had some very good races. So now I see a bright future. This is good.”

He branded his first year in MotoGP as “nothing special”, while noting that “nothing has surprised me” about his season.

“There’s nothing special to say about my first year in MotoGP.

“Just races, lots of crashes and injuries. Although it’s been a difficult year, there are still many positives.

“I’m very happy to have finished my rookie season, and I’m looking forward to the second one.”

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“To be honest, nothing has surprised me. I always think about the worst-case scenario, so nothing surprises me.”

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