Ogura becomes the first Japanese MotoGP winner in 22 years

Ai Ogura’s Assen assault hands Trackhouse a 1-2 finish as Martin grabs title lead, while Jack Miller again scores points for Yamaha

MotoGP has its first Japanese winner in 22 years after Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) produced a breakthrough ride to win the 2026 Tissot Grand Prix of the Netherlands at Assen. The last rider from Japan to do it was Makoto Tamada at the 2004 Japanese Grand Prix, but Ogura ended that long wait in dramatic fashion at the Cathedral of Speed.

Martin started from pole but couldn’t keep the lead at Turn 1 after Ogura launched well from the middle of the front row. Martin struck back immediately on the exit of the opening corner to retake first place, with Ogura and Fernandez next in line. Behind them, Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) moved past Bezzecchi on the opening lap.

The race was already taking shape by Lap 2. Martin had a little breathing room up front while the Trackhouse pair disputed second into the first corner. Their fight opened the door for Marc Marquez to join the contest, and Ogura slipped to fifth behind Fernandez, Marc Marquez and Bezzecchi. Then came the first major turning point. At the ultra-fast Turn 15 at Ramshoek, Bezzecchi lost the front while following Marc Marquez and crashed heavily. The Italian was out on the spot, marking a third straight Sunday without points for the rider who had arrived as championship leader.

Fernandez then began to close rapidly on Martin, while Ogura put pressure on Marc Marquez in the battle behind. The Japanese rider knew he needed to get through quickly and did exactly that, although by then more than two seconds separated him from Fernandez and Martin. Marc Marquez was soon drawn into another fight, this time with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), while Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) watched from sixth. Their scrap allowed Ogura to break away from that group, and it also brought Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) into the contest behind.

By Lap 12 of 26, Ogura had cut the gap to the two leaders to 1.2s. Then more drama unfolded elsewhere. Acosta ran wide at Turn 1 and dropped off the pace before retiring with serious right-hand discomfort, with pre-German GP surgery now looking likely for the Spanish rider. Not long after, Bagnaia also pulled into pit lane with a technical issue, removing another major name from the top six.

Ogura then had his own scare. Around Turn 3, his rear ride height device was visibly stuck just after he had set the fastest lap of the race and closed onto the back of the leading pair. The problem cost him ground, but he managed to free the device and was quickly back in contention.

The race-winning move began to build on Lap 17 when Fernandez attacked Martin at the Geert Timmer chicane to take over at the front. Ogura followed him through at Turn 1, demoting Martin again and making it an all-Aprilia battle for victory. Ogura waited until Lap 20 to make his own decisive move, diving underneath Fernandez at Turn 9. Once in front, he wasted no time and began to edge clear. At the start of Lap 22, his lead was already 0.9s.

Further back, the contest between Marc Marquez and Di Giannantonio became one of the race’s biggest talking points. At the Geert Timmer chicane, Di Giannantonio lunged underneath the #93 in an incident similar to Marc Marquez vs Valentino Rossi in 2015. Both ran wide, with Marc Marquez going over the gravel and Di Giannantonio cutting across the blue section. The Italian was later handed a Long Lap penalty for not losing enough time after shortcutting the final chicane.

Once he served it, Di Giannantonio rejoined right behind Marc Marquez, with Alex Marquez up to fourth. But the fight wasn’t over. On the penultimate lap, Di Giannantonio attacked Marc Marquez again at the chicane, this time making the pass stick cleanly on the asphalt, and on the final lap he also got past Alex Marquez to snatch fourth.

None of that changed the main story at the front. After just missing a first MotoGP win in Brno, Ogura only had to wait another seven days to reach the top step for the first time in the premier class. It was a landmark victory for the Japanese rider and one that leaves him only 25 points from the championship lead.

Fernandez’s second place completed an unforgettable day for Trackhouse, while Martin’s third was enough to send the #89 to the top of the standings. It was a huge weekend for the American squad and another strong statement from Aprilia, even with Bezzecchi’s race ending early.

Di Giannantonio’s late charge earned him fourth, ahead of an impressive Alex Marquez in fifth. Marc Marquez crossed the line sixth, but a post-race penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap dropped the reigning World Champion to seventh, promoting Bastianini to sixth. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) claimed eighth, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) ninth and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) 10th.

Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) was 11th, with Miller taking 12th after another hard-working performance. Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) and wildcard Augusto Fernandez (Yamaha Factory Racing) rounded out the points.

For Miller, Assen was another reminder of how hard-earned his results have been this season. Starting 19th, he had to manage persistent chatter and an unsettled feeling on the right-hand side of the tyre, but still worked his way into 12th and the points.

The Dutch GP was the final round before the summer break, and it is Martin who now heads into the next phase of the season as championship leader. Just seven points cover the 2024 World Champion and Bezzecchi, with plenty of pressure still coming from behind. Three rounds ago it seemed certain this season would be an all-Aprilia title battle between Bezzecchi and Martin, but now there are at least 5 legitimate challengers for the 2026 crown. Nobody would bet against Marquez winning plenty more races this year with some of his favourite circuits yet to come, Diggia is riding very assertively as the leading Ducati rider in the title, and Ogura’s blazing pace has him emerging as a not-so-dark-horse for the title now that he’s improved his qualifying performances.

Ai Ogura
“It’s just fantastic. I don’t want to talk so much because there’s not so much to talk. I mean, just win. I’m super, super happy for my people, and thanks to everybody!”

Raul Fernandez
“I’m done! And just what I can say is congrats to Ai. He made a better job with the medium, and I lost too much time behind Jorge anyway. Today he made the difference. Congrats to him, congrats to the team. With this, after too many races, fighting for this kind of position to get it. So happy also for me, for my crew, because they make a really good job, and also to my family.”

Jorge Martin
“First of all, I’d like to send my wishes to Marco for a lot of strength. I saw the crash and it is never nice to see a rider go down that way, especially when it’s your teammate. In any case, it was a good weekend, and we earned some important points. I’m particularly happy with the step forward we have taken in terms of speed and feeling. I stayed in the lead for 16 laps of the race and that is an important sign. I gave one hundred percent from the start, and I tried to manage the tyres for the finale. Then, I tried to battle with Ai and Raúl, but I had nothing left, so I tried to take home as many points as possible.”

Jack Miller
“It was another difficult Sunday, but at least we came away with a few points. From the opening laps I struggled with the feeling on the right-hand side of the tyre. It was never where I wanted it to be, but at the same time the performance stayed consistent throughout the race, which is one positive we can take. I just kept pushing until the chequered flag and had a good battle with Maverick and Moreira. We extracted everything we could from today’s package, even if the result isn’t where we want to be. We know there’s still work to do, but we’re making progress step by step. Hopefully the next circuit will suit our bike a little better and allow us to take another step forward.”

2026 MOTOGP CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 10