Ai Ogura Ends a 22-Year Drought With His First MotoGP Win
No Japanese rider had won a MotoGP race since Makoto Tamada at Motegi in 2004 — until Ogura came from behind at a chaotic Dutch TT.
Ai Ogura, riding for Trackhouse, won the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen for his first MotoGP victory — the first win for a Japanese rider in the premier class since Makoto Tamada took it at Motegi in 2004, a 22-year gap. Ogura dropped nearly two and a half seconds off the lead early on while dueling Marc Marquez for third, then clawed back past Jorge Martin and his own teammate Raul Fernandez to win by roughly two seconds, delivering Trackhouse a 1-2 finish.
"Not much to say, just happy." — Ai Ogura, after his maiden MotoGP win
The race was defined as much by who didn't finish it: championship leader Marco Bezzecchi crashed out at Turn 15 on just the second lap while running at the front, and was taken in for hospital checks. Jorge Martin took third across the line, with Fabio Di Giannantonio fourth and Alex Marquez fifth — and the result also pushed Martin to the top of the championship standings, seven points clear of Bezzecchi.
Ogura kept his own reaction characteristically brief afterward: "Not much to say, just happy." It's the kind of understated line that undersells what actually happened — a rider closing a 22-year gap for an entire country, on a day the pre-race favorite didn't even make it past lap two.
Aprilia Locked Out the Top Four at Mandalika — a First in the Factory's MotoGP History
Bezzecchi, Fernandez, Martin, Ogura. Two factory bikes, two Trackhouse bikes, and a nine-second gap back to the first Ducati. Martin leaves Indonesia two points up on Marc Marquez with five rounds left.
Álex Palou Just Did Something Only One Driver Has Ever Done in American Open-Wheel Racing
Four straight IndyCar championships, five in six years, and a title wrapped up with a round to spare. The record he tied belongs to Sébastien Bourdais — and the way Palou got there is arguably harder.
Marquez Wins Motegi Again and Leaves the MotoGP Title Hanging on Two Points
A sprint-and-race double at Motegi cut Jorge Martín's championship lead from 12 points to two with six rounds left. Márquez is now the first rider to win four premier-class Grands Prix at the circuit — and the title fight has turned into something neither Ducati nor Aprilia can plan around.