It was a day of high tension and “cold-tire” consequences for MotoGP’s newest sensation. Ai Ogura secured a direct ticket to Q2 for the 2026 Thai GP, but the Trackhouse Racing rookie was far from celebratory after a “complicated” afternoon that ended in the gravel trap.
Despite a late crash at Turn 7, Ogura’s earlier pace was enough to keep him in the Top 10, sparing him from the nightmare of Q1. However, the Japanese star didn’t hold back when assessing his team’s strategy during the rain-threatened session.
As dark clouds bubbled over the Chang International Circuit and rain flags began to wave, the pressure in the pits reached a boiling point. Ogura felt the team’s timing for his second “Time Attack” was a massive miscalculation.
“I’m not happy with the strategy or the speed,” Ogura admitted. “We could have managed the situation in a better way. I went out, saw rain, came back in… and when I went back out, the tire wasn’t ready. Then I crashed.”
In the frantic final minutes, Ogura pushed his Aprilia RS-GP to the limit to secure his spot. But with the rubber not yet at the optimum temperature and moisture in the air, the bike snapped away from him.
The crash left the Trackhouse garage holding their breath, but fortunately, the “damage” was already done to the timing screens—Ogura’s previous best lap held firm, keeping him safely inside the elite Q2 group.
While the afternoon was a tactical mess, Ogura was quick to point out that the blistering speed he showed during the Buriram Test last week hasn’t vanished.
Despite the crash and the strategy errors, he is in the Top 10 on his GP debut weekend. “The good feelings from the test are still there. I just didn’t put in the lap I knew I could have today.”
Credit Photo : MotoGP
