MotoGP: Japanese rider Ogura signs two-year contract with Trackhouse

The 23-year-old has made steady strides through the ranks, finishing third in the 2020 Moto3 championship and runner-up in the 2022 Moto2 title hunt.

FILE PHOTO: Ai Ogura has made steady strides through the ranks, finishing third in the 2020 Moto3 championship and runner-up in the 2022 Moto2 title hunt. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Japanese rider Ai Ogura will step up to MotoGP next season after signing a two-season contract with Trackhouse, the Aprilia satellite team announced on Thursday on the sidelines of the Austrian Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old has made steady strides through the ranks, finishing third in the 2020 Moto3 championship and runner-up in the 2022 Moto2 title hunt.

He has won two races in Moto2 this season and is currently in second place, just 18 points behind championship leader Sergio Garcia of Spain.

Ogura will partner Raul Fernandez, who signed a contract extension with Trackhouse last month, with Miguel Oliveira leaving the team.