MotoGP’s newest race winner Ai Ogura admitted that leading the final laps of the Assen race was not something he enjoyed.
The Japanese rider first assumed the race lead on Lap 20 after briefly taking the holeshot from pole-sitter Jorge Martin into the first corner before being shuffled back to sixth.
Prior to his race-winning overtake on team-mate Raul Fernandez, Ogura suffered a rear ride-height device issue that cost him more than a second.
The problem was triggered when he accidentally engaged the device exiting Turn 1, but despite the setback, he had the pace to recover the lost ground and pass both aforementioned Aprilia riders.
Reflecting on those final laps before becoming the first Japanese premier class winner since Makoto Tamada in 2004, Ogura admitted that each lap felt longer.
“I could see the situation they had, so I knew my pace was a little bit better than theirs,” he stated on MotoGP’s After the Flag.
“I was not rushing; I was just doing my ride and the gap was getting bigger between me and them.
“Of course, that wasn’t a nice feeling because I felt like four, five laps was super long.
“For me, winning in Assen made it even more special because it’s one of my favourite tracks.
“I won the race in Moto2 as well. So, super happy to ride in front of all the fans in this place. And when I crossed the line, just so much satisfaction.”
However, despite his first win, he played down any title ambitions, with the Trackhouse rider sitting 26 points behind new championship leader Martin.
“I’ll keep doing my job in the next races,” he said.
“And if it’s enough, I can be happy. But if they do something better, they are just better.”
READ MORE – Ai Ogura prevails to take maiden MotoGP victory in Assen
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