- Ai Ogura will ride for the Yamaha factory team from 2027 alongside Jorge Martin
- Yamaha enters the new 850cc era with two 2024 world champions
- Trackhouse must find a replacement, with Raul Fernandez as the most likely solution
The MotoGP transfer carousel for the 2027 season has once again delivered a surprise. Yamaha has secured the services of Ai Ogura, as Oriol Puigdemont from Motorsport.com reported exclusively. The Japanese rider is leaving the Trackhouse team, where he is currently competing in his second MotoGP season on an Aprilia, and is joining the Japanese factory team. From 2027 onwards, he will form a rider pairing with Jorge Martin, who had already been confirmed as a new signing for Yamaha.
A career path full of surprising decisions
The switch to Yamaha fits seamlessly into a career characterized by unconventional decisions. Ogura was trained in Honda’s junior system and progressed through the international talent classes of the Japanese manufacturer. Already in Moto3, he showed his potential, missing the world title in 2020 by just four points. In Moto2, he battled Augusto Fernandez for the championship right up to the final race in 2022 and fell just short after a bitter crash in Malaysia.
An MotoGP step up would have been possible within the Honda environment afterwards. However, Ogura rejected the offered seat as Takaaki Nakagami’s successor at LCR Honda. He wanted to become Moto2 World Champion first. After a 2023 season hampered by a broken scaphoid, he made another decision against the grain: he left Honda Team Asia and switched to the MT Helmets MSi team, including a change from Kalex to Boscoscuro. The gamble paid off. In 2024, Ogura secured the Moto2 World Championship with three victories and outstanding consistency.
Deliberately against Honda, deliberately for Aprilia
The Tokyo-born rider also surprised when making the jump to MotoGP. Instead of returning to his long-standing mentor Honda, he signed with the American Trackhouse team on an Aprilia. A rift with Honda’s management in his final Moto2 season is said to have contributed to this separation. Ogura himself justified the decision in 2024 purely on sporting grounds: “To step up to MotoGP, I had to make my decision based on what I see, which is the standings. That is my only criterion, and Aprilia is ahead. From a rider’s perspective, you always make your decision considering which motorcycle is stronger. That is how I came to my decision.”
Strong impressions in the early MotoGP races
In his debut season 2025, Ogura made a solid impression on the Trackhouse Aprilia. Already in the first race in Buriram, he finished fifth, which would remain his best result of the rookie season. In 2026, he built on this, achieving fifth place finishes in both Thailand and Brazil. In Austin, with five laps to go, he was within striking distance of the podium when a technical issue on his Aprilia forced him to retire. After three season races, Ogura sits seventh in the overall standings.
Yamaha bets on two 2024 world champions
With the signing of Ogura, Yamaha completes its factory team for 2027 with two title winners from the same year. Jorge Martin became MotoGP World Champion in 2024 with Pramac Ducati, Ogura claimed the Moto2 crown that same year. Both riders are showing strong form at the beginning of the current season.
That Yamaha was able to assemble such a strong rider pairing despite a difficult phase with the new V4 engine is certainly a sign that the brand still has pulling power in the paddock. The attempt to previously sign Francesco Bagnaia had failed, but the combination of Martin and Ogura is considered an almost optimal scenario under the given circumstances.
The nationality factor is also likely to play a role for Yamaha. Having a Japanese rider in the Japanese factory team has clear advantages in terms of management and public relations. However, observers emphasize that Ogura’s sporting potential was likely the decisive factor, with his nationality viewed more as a welcome bonus.
A sporting risk with strategic foresight
At first glance, Ogura’s switch contradicts his previous philosophy of always choosing the sportingly strongest motorcycle. Yamaha’s V4 project is struggling with significant teething problems in 2026, and few expect the brand to immediately put together a top package under the new 850cc regulations from 2027. Fabio Quartararo, who is leaving Yamaha for Honda after the current season, has recently made no secret of his frustration with the problems of the current M1.
In the long term, the decision for Ogura can still make sense. At Aprilia, there is no factory seat available. With Marco Bezzecchi established and Francesco Bagnaia joining, the factory door would not have opened until 2029 at the earliest. Staying as a satellite team rider at Trackhouse would have remained sportingly attractive, but a works contract with Yamaha offers different prospects, including significantly higher salary and direct involvement in factory development.
Consequences for the MotoGP rider market
Ogura’s switch has far-reaching consequences for the already turbulent 2027 rider market. Yamaha has already informed Luca Marini’s camp about the decision in favor of Ogura. For the Italian, who had previously been considered a promising candidate for the second Yamaha seat, another door closes. Previously, Daniel Holgado also thanked Yamaha for their interest but decided to move to the Gresini team, where he will ride a Ducati in 2027.
The future also looks bleak for Alex Rins. The Spaniard has been struggling with performance problems since his move to Yamaha. In the championship standings, he currently sits 19th, while teammate Quartararo has at least reached the top ten with individual podium finishes. Rins made it clear in Austin that his options for the future are limited. His remaining in MotoGP beyond 2026 appears doubtful.
Trackhouse seeks a successor
The American Trackhouse team, led by Justin Marks, must now find a replacement for Ogura. The most obvious solution would be to continue with Raul Fernandez, whose advancement to the Aprilia factory team is blocked by the Bagnaia signing. Fernandez started the season strongly with a double podium in Buriram and sits in the top seven of the championship.
Beyond that, several names are circulating as possible candidates for the vacant seat. Joan Mir, MotoGP World Champion in 2020, who appears to be facing the end of the road at Honda, is repeatedly being linked with Trackhouse. The connection to team principal Davide Brivio, under whom Mir won the title at Suzuki, is obvious. Alex Rins and Maverick Vinales also know Brivio from their shared Suzuki days, although Vinales is more likely to be connected with a KTM factory ride.
From Moto2, Manuel Gonzalez could be interesting. The current Moto2 World Championship leader already received a MotoGP test ride with Trackhouse in Aragon last season. Luca Marini, WorldSBK leader Nicolo Bulega and Australian Moto2 rider Senna Agius are also mentioned as possible options.
Toprak Razazlioglu remains at Pramac Yamaha
The signing of Ogura also means that Toprak Razazlioglu will not move up to the Yamaha factory team for now. The 2021 Superbike World Champion, who has caught attention with an impressive MotoGP debut, is bound to Yamaha through the end of 2027 and rides for the Pramac team. His manager Kenan Sofuoglu had already publicly stated that he expected Razazlioglu to remain at Pramac.
Since both Martin and Ogura are younger than Razazlioglu, a medium-term commitment by both to the factory team appears likely. For Jack Miller, the second Pramac rider, things could get tight if Yamaha considers a rookie seat. In this context, Moto2 rider Izan Guevara is increasingly being traded as a candidate for promotion.
Official announcements still on ice
All contract announcements for 2027 are currently being withheld. The reason: the manufacturers’ association MSMA and the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, formerly Dorna, have not yet agreed on the commercial framework agreement for the coming five years. No agreement was reached at the recent summit in Austin. The manufacturers appear to be using the delay as leverage in negotiations over a new revenue distribution model. As long as this contract is not signed, already concluded rider commitments remain under wraps.
What the 2027 MotoGP grid could look like
Four of the five MotoGP manufacturers have reportedly already largely locked in their factory lineups for 2027. KTM is the exception, as the planned signing of Maverick Vinales alongside Alex Marquez is said to be on ice due to fitness problems for Vinales.
The provisional picture: Ducati is counting on Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta. At Aprilia, Marco Bezzecchi and Francesco Bagnaia will race. Yamaha is starting with Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura. Honda is planning with Fabio Quartararo and David Alonso. In the Gresini team, Daniel Holgado and Enea Bastianini will race on Ducati. At Pramac Yamaha, Toprak Razazlioglu remains, with the second seat open. The VR46 Ducati team has confirmed Fermin Aldeguer, with the second seat vacant. At LCR Honda, Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira are planned. The final lineups for the Trackhouse Aprilia team and the KTM factory seats remain to be determined.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
When will Ai Ogura switch to Yamaha?
Ai Ogura will ride for the Yamaha factory team starting from the 2027 MotoGP season. He is currently completing the 2026 season on an Aprilia with the Trackhouse team.
-
Who will ride for the Yamaha factory team in 2027?
The Yamaha factory team is set to start 2027 with Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura. Martin became MotoGP World Champion in 2024, Ogura won the Moto2 title in the same year.
-
Why is Ai Ogura leaving the Trackhouse team?
Ogura is switching because there is no factory seat available for him at Aprilia. Francesco Bagnaia will race alongside Marco Bezzecchi there. At Yamaha, he receives a direct works contract.
-
What will happen to Alex Rins at Yamaha?
Alex Rins will leave Yamaha after the 2026 season. He currently has no offers, and his remaining in MotoGP beyond 2026 is uncertain.
-
Who will replace Ai Ogura at Trackhouse?
The most likely solution is to continue with Raul Fernandez. Joan Mir, Alex Rins, Manuel Gonzalez and Luca Marini are also being discussed as possible candidates.
- Abus 10079270-01Abus Granit Detecto XPlus 8008 2.0, Alarm-Bremsscheibenschloss – Silber male
