Trackhouse team owner Justin Marks says there was “no better rookie” to put into his MotoGP team than Moto2 World Champion Ai Ogura.
The American team signed Ogura following his successful campaign in the intermediate class last season, where he scored three victories on his way to the title.
Despite his championship, there was doubt as to whether Trackhouse had made the right call with the team expected to sign an American rider amid Joe Robers’ best Moto2 season to date.
However, the Japanese rider currently sits as the highest non-Ducati in the riders’ standings and has earned four points finishes in Sprints and grand prixes so far this season.
Marks said Ogura’s form reminded Trackhouse of its “great choice” in signing the Japanese rider.
“The transition from Moto2 to MotoGP is really big,” Marks said to MotoGP.com.
“The bikes have so much power, the aerodynamics and the level of competition, a little bit of experience – it’s a huge step, so you never know how a rookie will perform.
“What better rookie to put on the bike than the Moto2 World Champion? That’s why we signed him, he is an incredible talent and a mature and intelligent rider.
“We signed him with the expectation of having a great rider who can compete for points every time we get on the track, and eventually try to finish on the podium.
“His debut in Thailand was spectacular, probably better than we expected, but it also reminded us that we made a great choice in terms of the rider we put on the bike. So we are excited about his future.”
Ai Ogura: ‘good chance to learn’ from COTA chaos
Ogura continued his strong start to his MotoGP career following his pair of ninth-place finishes in Austin.
The Japanese rider says he and the team “can be satisfied” with their work and admitted he was delighted to fight with two established riders.
“Ninth place in the Sprint and ninth in the main race were good results after a difficult weekend,” said Ogura following the COTA weekend.
In the Sprint, I had a chance to fight for positions on my own, I fought with [Marco] Bezzecchi and [Brad] Binder.
“It was a good chance to learn and I also had fun. In the main race, however, there were five or six crashes ahead of me, so I couldn’t do much on my part.
“Overall, my team and I can be satisfied with this weekend.”
