Justin Marks says he is \u201csuper-bummed\u201d about losing Ai Ogura to Yamaha for MotoGP 2027.<\/p>\n
Ai Ogura\u2019s departure from Trackhouse Aprilia to move to Yamaha is one that has left the owner of the satellite Aprilia team, Justin Marks, \u201csuper-bummed\u201d.<\/p>\n
Marks, who is the owner the Trackhouse Entertainment Group that owns both the Aprilia satellite MotoGP team as well as the Trackhouse Racing NASCAR Cup Series team, brought Ogura to his MotoGP squad in 2025 after he won the Moto2 title the year before.<\/p>\n
At Trackhouse Aprilia, Ogura has gone from an inconsistent rider who could shine at times but be bereft of confidence and suffer huge crashes at others, to one of the most stable riders in MotoGP.<\/p>\n
But he will leave Trackhouse at the end of the season to join Yamaha\u2019s factory team. It\u2019s regrettable for Marks, although he accepts the decision of the Japanese rider.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want Ai [Ogura] to leave our team,\u201d said Marks, speaking on the world feed broadcast during Practice at Silverstone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean I\u2019m happy for him, right? These riders have to make the best decisions for their careers, we\u2019re just really excited that he\u2019s at the point in his career right now while sitting on our bikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is a very even-keeled guy and he\u2019s somebody to the point that, when the pressure ramps up, he\u2019s got a little place in his head where it\u2019s just all about doing the job.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s an important and unique character aspect, he\u2019s definitely got it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that Ai\u2019s a champion, maybe one day he\u2019ll come back and do it on our bikes, but right now we\u2019re just trying to take the most advantage of the moment we have with him right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Silverstone race was only Ogura\u2019s second DNF of the season and his first crash in a race, coming after he dropped back at the start when his start device remained engaged as he entered turn one.<\/p>\n
Ogura had entered the British Grand Prix weekend lying second in the standings but dropped to third as a result of the Sunday DNF.<\/p>\n
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Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.<\/p>\n
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