Japan once buzzed with motorcycle culture, and Yamaha believes one 25-year-old rider can help bring that energy back. Ai Ogura‘s Dutch Grand Prix win made him the first Japanese rider in over two decades to take a premier-class victory.
The Ai Ogura Yamaha pairing begins in 2027, when the Trackhouse star joins the factory team. That sets up a Japanese rider on a Japanese bike at the Japanese Grand Prix. Yamaha also fields the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, backed by 12B SPORTS, on the 2026 grid.
What the Ai Ogura Yamaha deal could mean for Japan
Yamaha MotoGP boss Paolo Pavesio sees a bigger prize than trophies. In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com Italy, he said Ogura’s rising fame could revive a passion the country has slowly lost.
Racing remains popular there, helped by giants such as Yamaha and Honda. Road bike sales, however, have collapsed over four decades. Japan still builds half the world’s motorcycles, and Pavesio said the manufacturers must lead the fix.
Tokyo’s missing motorcycles
Pavesio first visited Japan 25 years ago and found a city packed with bikes and scooters glowing with LEDs. Today they have almost vanished from Tokyo. Pavement parking bans arrived first, then noise complaints, until riders quietly disappeared.
He warns that teenagers who lose interest in bikes will not become the engineers who design them. Suzuka shows the damage, drawing around 60,000 fans instead of the old 150,000.
Ogura’s rise has been quick. Honda backed his junior career, and he won the 2024 Moto2 title on his fourth attempt. After debuting in MotoGP with Trackhouse last year, he chased the 2026 title until injuries ruled him out of Aragon and Misano. Those results convinced Yamaha to sign him next to 2024 champion Jorge Martin.
Pavesio said nationality did not drive the signing. He still believes Ogura could become one of the two or three greatest Japanese riders ever, and he accepts the pressure that comes with it. With Martin alongside him and a home race awaiting, Ogura’s Yamaha debut will be watched closely in Japan.
