The Pecco Bagnaia lesson that aided a MotoGP rookie’s star debut
Ai Ogura stunned in debut at Thai MotoGP
MotoGP rookie Ai Ogura says he was able to learn how to manage his tyres for a full race distance at the Thai Grand Prix after shadowing Francesco Bagnaia in the sprint.
Reigning Moto2 champion Ogura turned heads in his debut in the premier class, after qualifying fifth on his Trackhouse Aprilia before bagging fourth and fifth-place results in the races.
Ogura’s grand prix form was particularly impressive, as he finished just 7.5s from race winner Marc Marquez and was seven seconds clear of factory Aprilia counterpart Marco Bezzecchi.
Fifth is the best result for a rookie in their grand prix debut since Marc Marquez breached the podium at the 2013 Qatar GP for Honda.
Pecco Bagnaia lesson for Ai Ogura
Ogura says his consistent pace in the 26-lap grand prix was helped by being able to study how Bagnaia managed his tyres while following him in Saturday’s sprint.
“First of all, this kind of hot condition, for me it’s an advantage because I think for other riders it’s more tough and I don’t feel it so much,” the Japanese rider said.
“So, it’s a good point. The hardest thing for me was how to manage the tyre.
“But yesterday [in the sprint] I learned a lot from Pecco and I just did like yesterday in the main race and my pace was quite ok till the end.”
When asked about how his tyres degraded over the grand prix, Ogura noted: “Tyre dropped like I expected, but the last six, seven laps were difficult to manage.
“But I expected that before I started the race. So, it was not a bad surprise for me. So, it was manageable.”
Ogura’s result in the sprint brought with it rave praise from around the grid and the paddock at large, though he says he didn’t come into Sunday’s race with the same ambitions.
“After the sprint, I had a little conversation with my crew that it was a sprint, only 13 laps and the main race will be a little bit more complicated,” he added.
“But even with the main race distance, we were still there. So, I’m happy.”
Ogura says he was able to manage the heat better than most because “I did a lot of races in Asia when I did Asia Talent Cup. Can be one of the reasons.”
Quotes provided by Crash MotoGP Editor Peter McLaren
