In 2025, Japan will have a new MotoGP™ hero to cheer for as a Moto2™ title contender Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) gets ready to join Raul Fernandez at Trackhouse Racing.

Ogura – as of this writing ahead of the 2024 Austrian GP – was a five-time Grand Prix winner in Moto2™ and is the latest Japanese rider to have at least one Grand Prix win and be a MotoGP™ rider of the modern era. Europe has claimed the recent successes in the premier class, but Ogura’s arrival is a timely reminder that Japan has an incredibly rich history in MotoGP™ – and not just on the manufacturer side.

13 Japanese stars – 14 if Ogura competes next season – have raced in MotoGP™ and won a GP beforemost recently Tetsuta Nagashima, after the 2020 Qatar GP Moto2™ winner replaced Japan’s current premier class hero Takaaki Nakagami at IDEMITSU Honda LCR for the final four races of the 2022 season. Nakagami himself won two intermediate class races before making the jump to the premier class, and the number 30 has been the only full-time Japanese rider on the grid since 2018.

Of the 13 riders, two have achieved MotoGP™ victories – Makoto Tamada and Tohru Ukawa. Tamada took his two victories in 2004 on Honda’s RC211V in Brazil and Japan, while Ukawa won his second ever MotoGP™ race at the 2002 South African GP, ​​finishing third in the overall standings for Repsol Honda en route.

Ogura’s rise offers Japan a new chance to celebrate a MotoGP™ victory – something the nation has not managed since Tamada’s home GP win in 2004.

Ogura is not expected to win in 2025. However, the 23-year-old has proven in Moto3™ and Moto2™ that he has what it takes to challenge for 25 points and championship titles. P3 in 2020 (Moto3™) and P2 in 2022 (Moto2™) have been Ogura’s highlight seasons so far, but the coveted first world title is within reach in 2024 after an injury-plagued 2023 season.

It’s safe to say that Trackhouse has signed Japan’s rising star. Now the American-based company and Ogura want to show everyone what they are capable of.

Below you will find the complete list of Japanese drivers have won Grand Prix races in every class in modern times:

Tetsuya Harada (17 wins)
Daijiro Kato (17)
Youichi Ui (11)
Hiroshi Aoyama (9)
Shinobu Nakano (6)
Tobi Okada (6)
Tohru Ukawa (5)
Ai Ogura (5*)
Norick Abe (3)
Yuki Takahashi (3)
Makoto Tamada (2)
Takaaki Nakagami (2*)
Nobuatsu Aoki (1)
Tetsuta Nagashima (1)

*Before the 2024 Austrian GP