MotoGP Japanese Riders' Race [Round 21, Portugal GP] Ai Ogura Finishes 7th in MotoGP, and Taiyo Kozato Finishes on the Podium in 3rd Place in Moto3

The 21st round of MotoGP, the Portuguese GP, was held at the Autodromo Internacional Algarve in Portugal from November 7 to 9. The 2025 season has only two rounds remaining, including this one. We will follow the Japanese riders as they battle it out in Portugal, where the season is coming to an end.

Ai Ogura finishes 7th at a circuit she has struggled with

Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) finished Friday's practice in 10th position. The weather was unstable on Friday, with clouds spreading in from around noon and light rain falling on and off throughout the day. This was the fourth time this season that Ogura has advanced to Q2. In his first run on a MotoGP machine in Algarve, Ogura said, "Yesterday, I didn't know where I was going to be, so I wasn't expecting much," said Ogura. The Algarve was not Ogura's favorite circuit. The weather on Saturday was fine, but the rain that fell during the night soaked the track. Wet patches remained in the morning, and these conditions affected Ogura, who finished 12th in Q2. He finished the sprint race in 11th place. Ogura's best race of the day came in Sunday's final race. Ogura, who has finished ahead of the grid in most of the races he has completed this season, started the race from a position earlier than usual, which allowed him to fight for positions inside the top 10. From the first half of the race, Ogura lapped behind Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) and passed him with three laps to go, finishing the race in 7th place. Zarco slowed down at the end, but his pace was similar to mine until then," said Zarco. （I think it was a race where Zarco was in front and I was behind (in terms of pace rather than the time it took to pass him). I might have been able to pass him if I pushed too hard, but my speed was not fast enough in the first place. This was his seventh place in his first race on a MotoGP machine at a circuit he was not very good at, following fifth in Thailand and sixth in Catalunya. For Ogura, the result was even more important: "Seventh here is a great result," he said. Seventh here is very good," Ogura said, admitting that it was a "good" result for him.

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Ayumu Sasaki in Moto2 suffered from engine braking and crashed out of the race.

Ayumu Sasaki (RW-Idoloforja Racing GP), competing in Moto2 class, started from 23rd position and crashed at the 5th corner on lap 5, retiring from the race. The crash, which involved another rider, earned Sasaki a long lap penalty for the next race. When I passed the rider in front of me at turn 5, I made a little contact with the rear tire of (Marcos) Ramirez who was in front of me. I was struggling a lot with the engine braking throughout the weekend, and the rear drifted and I couldn't stop and hit him. It's really frustrating, but I know what the problem is and I want to prepare for the final race so that I can finish with a good feeling."

Yuki Kunii (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), also in the Moto2 class, started 28th and finished 23rd. I couldn't get a good feeling with the bike from the first day. With the rain, I couldn't use the practice time as much as I wanted. The guys around me had experience and were doing well, but I (as a Moto2 rookie) had a hard time. It was tough all the way to the race this time." In addition, Ryo Mitani entered the Moto3 class this time as a substitute for Tatthakorn Boucherie from Honda Team Asia. Mitani will continue to participate in Moto3 with Honda Team Asia from the 2026 season, and will continue as a substitute until the final round in Valencia this season. Mitani also substituted for the Riva Cold Snipers team in the Indonesian GP. Mitani started 19th and fought his way through a group of about five riders to finish 19th. I was in a bad position, but I couldn't do what I wanted to do in this race. I tried to save my tires, but by the end the tires were finished, and I made a mistake and got separated from the group, so I couldn't make up for it. But overall, I think I made a lot of progress in terms of attacking on the first lap of the attack lap, which was my problem. Mitani (#2) is a rider who has competed in the FIM Junior GP World Championship and the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup this season©Honda[/caption] The final round of the season, the Valencia GP, will be a series of races held November 14-16 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Spain The Valencia Grand Prix will be the final round of the series. Visit the gallery (5)