Trackhouse Racing Team Owner, Justin Marks, has discussed why his team signed Ai Ogura for 2025.
Last week it was announced that Ai Ogura would be stepping up to MotoGP in 2025. Many expected Ogura to ride for LCR Honda IDEMITSU due to his HRC links. However, he has made the decision to ride for Trackhouse Racing Aprilia.
This decision sent shockwaves throughout the paddock. Before Ogura put pen to paper it seemed that Joe Roberts was a shoe-in for the Trackhouse Racing ride. The American rider seemed almost destined to ride for MotoGP's new American team.
After the decision was made the Trackhouse Racing Team Owner, Justin Marks, spoke to MotoGP.com about why his team chose Ogura for 2025.
"We are thrilled to have him (Ogura) join the team," Marks stated. "It was a very long process in determining what the future would look like for our rider lineup.
"It was pretty easy with Raul (Fernandez), he is improving a lot and learning the bike and is fitting in with the team. For our second rider, there are a lot of factors that go into that decision and we looked at a lot of different options.
"We are excited about Ai's talent, dedication, speed, and focus and from a business standpoint, it is great to have a rider that represents Asia. All in all, it checked a lot of boxes for us and as a group, we are very excited about Ogura's potential and future."
