Takaaki Nakagami “super happy” for “very clever” compatriot Ai Ogura after Moto2 title win

Ai Ogura’s victory in the 2024 Moto2 World Championship marked the first world title for Japan since Hiroshi Aoyama won the final 250cc World Championship in 2009.

Only four Japanese riders have won races in Moto2 since it was introduced in 2010, with Shoya Tomizawa, Takaaki Nakagami, and Tetsuta Nagashima all having won GPs in the intermediate class before Ogura stepped up to Moto2 in 2021.

For Takaaki Nakagami, Ogura’s championship success was a deserved one.

“I feel super-happy, of course, for him,” Nakagami said following the MotoGP race in Thailand, “because I think he deserved to win the championship.

“He only was super-consistent during the season; also today, at the very beginning of the race, he was a little bit dropping positions, but he was very clever and gaining positions at the end of the race up to P2.

“I was super-happy, big congratulations to him, and it’s nice that before the MotoGP race I saw him winning the championship.

“I think he is super-happy but all the Japanese fans and myself as well [are] happy for him.”

Ogura’s 2025 teammate, Raul Fernandez, echoed the sentiments of Nakagami, the Spanish rider having spent much of his time in the pre-Grand Prix classes riding alongside Ogura.

“I’m really happy for him,” said Fernandez. “I think he deserved the championship, he did a fantastic year.

“I’m really happy because, at the end, I was since the [Red Bull] Rookies Cup with him, I was in Moto3 and Moto2 also, and next year he will be my teammate.

“And, really happy because at the end he has now the confidence to think that he is prepared to be in MotoGP.

“I think that he can come with a fresh mind in Aprilia; also, I think will help the project, so I’m happy for him and for how he managed today the race — he did a really good race, like a champion’s race, so I’m really happy to have [Ai] Ogura as my teammate.”