– Ai Ogura has to miss a second Grand Prix weekend due to his injury to his left thumb. After the race at MotorLand Aragon, the Japanese rider will also be absent in Misano. However, the Trackhouse-Aprilia team expects Ogura to be back for the Grand Prix of Austria next weekend.
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Ogura injured his left hand at the end of the summer break during motocross training. On August 27, he underwent surgery on his left thumb in Barcelona. This week, on September 8, a follow-up appointment was scheduled.
However, the medical team led by Dr. Xavier Mir advised skipping the weekend in Misano. This decision was made on Wednesday and publicly confirmed by the team.
“This track is quite demanding for his injury,” team principal Davide Brivio pointed out to MotoGP.com, referring to another factor against a comeback in Misano.
“There are many left-hand turns here. That would probably have been a strain. A crash could have made the situation even worse. So we are taking another week.”
“The goal is to be back in Austria. From this perspective, the track should be less demanding: the corners mostly go to the right, and you only have to brake in a straight line.”
“What’s important is that he fully recovers,” Brivio emphasized. “After all, the season finale is still ahead, and in Asia, we can achieve good results if Ai is in good shape.”
Ogura’s theoretical world championship chance has significantly decreased with two missed race weekends. After Silverstone, he was third in the championship, 37 points behind Aprilia rider Jorge Martin. This deficit has now grown to 53 points.
No more rushed comebacks – a paradigm shift?
Is it a paradigm shift in motorsport that Ogura, despite no serious injury, is not making a rushed comeback? A similar situation applies to Formula 1 driver Isack Hadjar, who is missing three races after a hand injury.
“This has less to do with attitude and more with the demands,” said team manager Francesco Guidotti, who will take over Brivio’s duties in 2027, in an interview with Motorsport-Total.com.
“A few years ago, it was easier to ride a motorcycle when injured. Today, the motorcycles are so powerful and physically demanding that it is really dangerous for the rider himself and for the other riders if you are not fit.”
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“So it is a change in mentality in that the demands of riding have drastically changed.” Guidotti therefore does not believe that a scenario like Assen 2013 will happen again.
Scenario like Lorenzo in Assen 2013 will not repeat
In Assen 2013, Jorge Lorenzo broke his left collarbone in a crash during a rainy practice day. He flew to Barcelona, had surgery, returned to Assen, and finished fifth in the race.
“I don’t think something like that will happen again. As I said: the motorcycles are extremely physically demanding, and the power is much, much higher,” Guidotti compared the situation to today.
“Of course, riders need painkillers and such after an injury. You can do that once, maybe twice, but it must not become routine. If you get injured, you wait for recovery.”
Compared to 2013, not only are the motorcycles more exhausting to ride, but the overall intensity has increased: 22 race weekends, qualifying on Friday, qualifying and sprint on Saturday, race on Sunday.
Since 2013, the medical protocol has also changed. If a rider has to undergo surgery under general anesthesia, he is not allowed to ride for at least 24 hours afterward.
Also, in 2013 there were only four or five competitive motorcycles in the field. With the current performance density, an unfit rider could finish outside the points. “That doesn’t make sense,” Guidotti also finds.
Why Lorenzo Savadori is not stepping in
In Aragon, Ogura was replaced by Lorenzo Savadori, but the Italian was not available for Misano. On Thursday and Friday, he continued the test program in Barcelona with the new 850cc motorcycle.
Theoretically, he could have ridden in Misano on Saturday and Sunday instead of Ogura. But both Savadori and KTM test rider Pol Espargaro reported that it is difficult for them to switch back to Michelin after the Pirelli tests.
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For these reasons, it was decided not to use Savadori in Misano. Trackhouse-Aprilia will therefore compete only with Raul Fernandez. Ogura’s championship deficit before the Misano race weekend is 53 points.
