Aprilia Faces Another Setback: The Aragon GP Loses One of Its Key Players

Another setback for Aprilia, in a season that has so far been marked by true dominance on the MotoGP circuits but also by various physical issues faced by its riders throughout 2026. The latest on the list is Ai Ogura, who has been forced to sit out the Aragon Grand Prix weekend due to an injury to his left hand. As confirmed on social media by his team, Team Trackhouse, the Japanese rider suffered a broken thumb while training in Japan. Surgery on his finger is scheduled for Thursday, while in Spain, Lorenzo Savadori will take his place in the saddle, as is customary for the Noale-based manufacturer.

This isn’t the first time Savadori has been called upon to replace an Aprilia rider this season: back in February, during testing at Sepang, the Noale-based manufacturer’s test rider stepped in for the injured Jorge Martin, gathering positive feedback on the RS-GP26. This confirms, therefore, the vital role the Italian rider plays within the Aprilia program as a technical point of reference in times of emergency.

Ogura’s absence comes at a delicate time for Team Trackhouse, which has been able to count on top-level performances from the Japanese rider this season. The Japanese rider—the first of his nationality to win in the premier class since 2004—claimed victory at the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen and has so far racked up impressive results throughout the championship, including a second-place finish in the Sprint Race at Silverstone behind his teammate Jorge Martin. Before his thumb injury, Ogura was in second place in the World Championship standings.

Aprilia’s 2026 season has been, overall, extraordinary in terms of on-track performance, but marred by a series of physical setbacks affecting several riders. Marco Bezzecchi, the other rider for the Noale-based team, had already endured a very rough patch between late June and July: first a crash at Assen, then a comminuted clavicle fracture sustained at the Sachsenring during qualifying at 160 km/h, which required surgery. The rider from Romagna managed to return to the track at Silverstone, securing a valuable third-place finish in the Sprint despite his physical condition not yet being optimal.

Even World Championship leader Jorge Martin himself was not spared from problems at the start of the season, so much so that he missed the Sepang tests in February. Despite the difficulties its riders faced throughout the year, the Noale-based team managed to maintain a dominant presence at the top of the standings, confirming the competitiveness of the RS-GP26 on every type of circuit.