Factory Aprilia Marco Bezzecchi not only set the fastest outright lap time at the Buriram MotoGP test but was also quickest of those to try a near full-length grand prix simulation.
However, it was Trackhouse Aprilia’s Ai Ogura who headed the bigger list of riders opting only for a shorter Sprint simulation, ahead of this weekend’s Thai season opener.
The Japanese – who turned heads as the top non-Ducati rider with fourth (Sprint) and fifth (Grand Prix) places on his MotoGP debut at the same circuit a year ago – set an average pace of 1m 30.101s across his 12-lap run.
That was under Marc Marquez’s Sprint-winning average at last year’s grand prix and a fraction quicker than the next-best test simulation, by Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia, on day one at Buriram.
Leading Race Simulations: 2026 Buriram MotoGP Test.
© Peter McLaren
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Alex Marquez was next quickest with an average of 1m 30.444s, but crashed on his eleventh lap.
The Gresini rider, runner-up to his brother in both races a year ago, later joked that he would have done 20 laps, but a half-distance run seems more likely.
Marc Marquez likewise crashed, on lap 7 of his long run, having set a pace slightly under Ogura up to that point. But the same question remains, how many laps was he planning to do?
Either way, Ogura was keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
“Yesterday, if you ask me the same question [about expectations for the season-opener], I would say top 10. But today I can say top 7-6,” he said at the end of testing.
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The Japanese added that: “The biggest improvement from last year is the entry phase all the way to the apex. I can feel more the front tyre.
“And about the race pace [simualtions], three or four guys were really, really fast. And others are doing something similar – and I’m one of them.
“So we’ll see. But three or four guys are really fast,” he repeated.
“For sure, this track helps, because I like it. But also, we’ve improved in a lot of areas, mainly the entry phase. Obviously, we’ll look for more in the race weekend.”
Although the test ended with an Aprilia one-two, Ogura was reluctant to say that the RS-GP is now a match for the Ducati.
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“Marc is super fast, Pecco is super fast, Franco, Diggia… Everyone on Ducati is super fast, but that can also be because of the rider! So I don’t know,” he added.
Bezzecchi’s team-mate Jorge Martin was eighth fastest overall, and Ogura’s team-mate Raul Fernandez eleventh.
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