MotoGP comeback postponed: Ai Ogura also missing in Misano

– Ai Ogura will also not start at the MotoGP race in Misano. The Trackhouse rider failed the medical examination on Tuesday in Barcelona. After his surgically treated fracture on his left thumb, doctors advised him against traveling to Misano.

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This means the Trackhouse team will have to do without their Japanese regular rider for the second race in a row. Unlike in Aragon, no one will replace him this time.

On Tuesday, Ogura underwent a radiological examination at the Instituto Universitario Dexeus in Barcelona. There, the 24-year-old was checked by the specialists who had operated on his injured thumb just twelve days earlier. Although his condition had recently improved and Ogura himself was optimistic, the examination did not yield the hoped-for results.

The treating doctors recommend that the Japanese rider continue rehabilitation and refrain from starting at the San Marino Grand Prix. “For the second race weekend in a row, the SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team will compete without Ai Ogura,” his team said in a statement.

Thumb fracture after motocross accident

Ogura was injured during training with a motocross bike in Japan during the recent summer break. During the subsequent examination in Spain, doctors found a fracture at the base of his left thumb.

Subsequently, the Japanese rider was operated on by Dr. Xavier Mir and his medical team, who specialize in upper extremity injuries. The doctors inserted a plate to keep the healing time as short as possible. Since then, Ogura has been in a combination of rest and rehabilitation.

However, the current examination shows that the recovery is not yet advanced enough to justify a return to the MotoGP bike.

Ogura loses ground in the title fight

For Ogura, the absence is particularly bitter from a sporting perspective. Before the summer break, the Trackhouse rider had developed into a serious candidate for the world championship title. After the German Grand Prix, he was in second place in the overall standings, only 18 points behind Jorge Martin.

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Since the end of the summer break, however, his situation has deteriorated significantly. Ogura crashed in the race at Silverstone, and his injury then sidelined him. As a result, he already missed Aragon and dropped to fifth place in the championship standings. He is currently 53 points behind the leader.

Lorenzo Savadori not a replacement this time

At the race in Aragon, Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia’s test rider from the factory team, had temporarily replaced Ogura. However, Savadori is not available for the San Marino Grand Prix. Thus, only one rider will compete in Misano.

“Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia’s test rider who had agreed at short notice to replace Ogura in Aragon, is not available this weekend in Misano. Therefore, the team has no choice but to contest the San Marino event with Raul Fernandez as the sole rider,” explains Trackhouse.

Austrian Grand Prix as the next goal

Meanwhile, Ogura remains in Barcelona and continues his rehabilitation. His next goal is a return at the Austrian Grand Prix, which takes place just one week after the race in Misano, from September 18 to 20.

The tight race calendar adds additional time pressure. After Austria, the MotoGP heads to Asia. For Ogura, the Japan round is particularly important: his home race is scheduled for October 4.

Until then, it remains uncertain whether the Japanese rider will be fully recovered in time. After the now failed medical examination, the focus is initially on further stabilizing the injured left hand and restoring physical resilience to enable a prompt return.

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