Japan’s Ogura wins maiden MotoGP as Bezzecchi crashes in Assen

ASSEN: Japan’s Ai Ogura sped to his maiden MotoGP triumph in the Netherlands on Sunday as pre-race championship leader Marco Bezzecchi crashed at over 200kph and was taken to hospital.

Ogura finished over two seconds ahead of his Aprilia teammate Raul Fernandez, with another Spaniard, Jorge Martin, in third a further 1.5 sec back on a winding and undulating track.

“It’s fantastic, I don’t have much to say but I’m really very happy. Many thanks to my team,” said Ogura.

Fernandez, winner of the sprint on Saturday, spent two-thirds of the race behind Martin before managing to overtake him only for Ogura, who had been biding his time, to pass his teammate shortly after and pull away for a scorching victory.

This was also a first win for a Japanese rider since Makoto Tamada in 2004.

Ogura is in his first season in MotoGP’s top level with Trackhouse and took pole last week in the Czech Republic but came second.

The 25-year-old also finished third at Le Mans in France in May to become the first Japanese rider to finish on a MotoGP podium since Katsuyuki Nakasuga at the Valencia Grand Prix in 2012.

In the championship, Martin takes the lead seven points ahead of Bezzecchi with Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio 16 behind the leader.

Bezzecchi crashed heavily on lap three and flew head over heels seven or eight times. The Italian Aprilia rider was fortunate to separate from his bike early in the fall and was transferred to hospital, conscious but suffering “intense pain”.

Ogura moves up to fourth position, 25 points behind the leader, while Marc Márquez, the reigning world champion, is 40 points behind his compatriot.