‘70/30’ blame after Aprilia riders collide in Sepang MotoGP race
Ai Ogura accepts most of the blame for a late Malaysian MotoGP clash with fellow Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi.
Not for the first time this season, two Aprilia riders collided during Sunday's Malaysian MotoGP race at Sepang.
This time it was Ai Ogura and title contender Marco Bezzecchi who tangled, sending bodywork flying from the Trackhouse machine as their lines crossed at Turn 1.
Ogura had been behind Bezzecchi for almost the entire race before seizing his chance to claim fourth place in the closing laps - proving their were no team orders at Aprilia.
Fortunately, both were able to continue after the contact.
“I was going for one position and he tried to defend his position,” Ogura told MotoGP.com.
“It was a little bit my fault. I didn't see him and I expected that he holds his line going into Turn 2, but he tried to hit the apex again in Turn 1.
“That's something I didn't expect. So I feel like 70/30, and 70 on me.”
Ogura added: “The reason why I could pass Bez was he didn't get any drive out of 14 and Turn 3. That's where I could catch him. And after that I started to have a lot of chances.”
Bezzecchi felt Ogura could have waited for a better moment to pass but said there were ‘no hard feelings’.
"No hard feelings"
“Well, in that moment, Ai was a bit faster than me, so I think he would have overtaken me pretty soon, maybe three corners later,” Bezzecchi said.
“So I think the contact was not necessary just because we risked to crash both of us. But, at the end, everything went well, so nothing to complain. It's something that can happen.
“Obviously, when you have the speed, you try to overtake. I know it, I'm a rider as well, so no hard feelings.”
After passing Bezzecchi, Ogura closed to within one second of Alex Marquez and a podium at the chequered flag.
“After the chequered flag, when you are so close to the podium, you feel like, ‘Ah, if I could have done my move two laps earlier,’, he admitted.
“But it was my race, I have to accept it and move forward.”
Another scare for Bezzecchi
Bezzecchi, meanwhile, suffered more drama when he almost crashed on the final lap, handing fifth place to Enea Bastianini.
“I lost the front as soon as I touched a little bit the brake, I really went completely out of the track, risking to crash,” he said.
“It was a hard moment as well, I lost one place more. Tough, but I tried my best to save it, fortunately I didn't crash.”
Bezzecchi's third place in the Sprint and sixth in the Grand Prix meant he lost further ground to title leader Marc Marquez in Malaysia.
He heads to Qatar third in the World Championship, 23 points behind injured team-mate Jorge Martin.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
