Ai Ogura came close to a podium in his debut MotoGP Sprint Race at the Thai Grand Prix.

Moto2 World Champion, Ai Ogura, has caught everyone's attention this weekend in Thailand. The MotoGP rookie has looked right at home in the premier class from the word go.

The Japanese rider qualified in fifth on his Trackhouse Racing Aprilia, and then went on to end his debut Sprint Race in fourth place, as the top Aprilia rider.

Trackhouse Racing's Team Principal, Davide Brivio, has worked with the best of the best in MotoGP. However, even he was stunned by Ogura's performance on Saturday in Thailand.

"Obviously, it's a big surprise in a positive way for us as well, we were expecting a little longer apprenticeship," Brivio explained.

"It's only the first race, the first Sprint, but qualifying went well, also the start and he stayed there. But to do the whole race with Pecco, behind the top three there are no words to describe our joy.

"He is the Moto2 World Champion, we knew he is a talented rider, but I did not expect to see him in those positions so quickly.

"We did a good job during the winter and he is a very smart guy, he has a very calm approach, he wants to understand and learn. It is nice and exciting to work with him and I think this performance is a result of his method."

Brivio was asked if there was any hope that Ogura could claim a podium in his debut Sprint Race. However, the Italian did not want to push too far and stated that fourth was beyond his expectations.

"Honestly, today more than anything else I was telling myself that this was more than enough. I wasn't dreaming of anything else. It went beyond our wildest expectations."