Ai Ogura smashes the Brno lap record to claim maiden pole
It is official: Ai Ogura is the man of the hour in Brno. The SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP rider has been an absolute force all weekend, following up his Friday dominance by annihilating the lap record with a 1:51.139 to secure his first-ever MotoGP pole position. It is a stunning result for the Japanese rider, who becomes the sixth different polesitter of this wild season.
Ogura’s pace was simply unmatchable in the final moments of Q2. He finished more than two tenths ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), with the Ducati Lenovo Team machine of Francesco Bagnaia slotting into third, just 0.033 behind. While the rest of the field hunted for speed, no one had the answer for the SuperFile Trackhouse rider. Even a late effort from Marc Marquez failed to materialize as the Ducati Lenovo Team rider abandoned his final attempt.
Further down the order, the session was not without its drama. Jorge Martin, riding for Aprilia Racing, successfully battled through Q1 after a tough start to the weekend. Elsewhere, a clash between Toprak Razgatliouglu (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) resulted in a three-place grid penalty for the Turkish rider. Now, all eyes turn to the race—can the man Marco Bezzecchi called a "pain in the ass" convert this stunning speed into a win?
