Takaaki Nakagami “super happy” for “very smart” compatriot Ai Ogura after Moto2 title victory

Ai Ogura’s victory in the 2024 Moto2 World Championship was the first world title for Japan since Hiroshi Aoyama won the last 250cc World Championship in 2009.

Only four Japanese riders have won races in Moto2 since its introduction in 2010, with Shoya Tomizawa, Takaaki Nakagami and Tetsuta Nagashima all winning GPs in the intermediate class before Ogura moved up to Moto2 in 2021.

For Takaaki Nakagami, Ogura’s championship success was a deserved victory.

“I’m of course super happy for him,” said Nakagami after the MotoGP race in Thailand, “because I think he deserved to win the championship.

“Only during the season he was super consistent; also today, at the very beginning of the race, he lost a little positions, but he was very smart and gained positions at the end of the race up to P2.

“I was super happy, I congratulate him very much and it’s nice that I saw him win the championship before the MotoGP race.

“I think he’s super happy, but all the Japanese fans and I are happy for him too.”

Ogura’s 2025 teammate Raul Fernandez echoed the sentiments of Nakagami, the Spanish rider who had spent much of his time in the pre-Grand Prix classes alongside Ogura.