Published Jun 21, 2026 by Michael Le Pard
| MARTÍN NINTH, BEZZECCHI DNS. ANOTHER PODIUM FOR SUPERFILE TRACKHOUSE MOTOGP TEAM’S OGURA, FERNÁNDEZ SEVENTH |
| Aprilia Racing’s weekend at the Brno Circuit in the Czech Republic was a mixed feeling. Starting from ninth on the grid, Jorge Martín had to serve two long-lap penalties after an incident at the first corner of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Despite the penalty, the Spanish rider recovered several positions to finish ninth. Marco Bezzecchi did not take part in the race after being suspended following an incident involving a marshal after his crash in Saturday’s sprint. The excellent performance of Ai Ogura of the SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team also merits mention: after his sprint podium, he remained among the frontrunners and finished second in the main race. Raúl Fernández added a seventh-place finish, giving Aprilia three RS-GP26 machines in the top ten. |
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| The aim was to finish the race and secure the best possible result. I got a good start and tried to make up as many positions as possible before serving the two long-lap penalties. After serving the penalties, I realised I had lost many positions. In the end, this is the consequence of a less-than-ideal qualifying session and the mistake I made in Hungary. I feel we still lack something to fight for victory: without the penalty, I could probably have battled for fourth or fifth, but my pace is not what it was a few races ago. We need to analyse the situation in detail to get back to fighting at the front. | |
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| I would like to apologize to the entire MotoGP community for my behavior toward the trackside marshal. I’m also sorry because I know how much effort and sacrifice marshals make to ensure our safety. This behavior shouldn’t happen and there is no justification for it. I apologize to everyone, Aprilia Racing and all my fans. | |
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| It was a difficult weekend – with Jorge’s double long-lap penalty in the main race and Marco’s disastrous Saturday, which even deprived us of the chance to see him race. The standings were not our focus before, and they are not our focus now. We must react as a united team and as the strong company that we are, and keep working to improve the bike. There’s still a long way to go in the championship, and our rivals have clearly taken a step forward – we must do the same. Congratulations to Ai Ogura, who had an extraordinary weekend with a pole position, a new lap record and two podium finishes. This result demonstrates the competitiveness of the RS-GP26. |
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Michael Le Pard (“Mr. Totalmotorcycle”) is the Founder of Total Motorcycle, the world’s largest motorcycle information site, trusted by over 430 million riders since 1999. With over 34 years of experience in motorcycles, gear and rider culture, he has built a global community dedicated to empowering and inspiring motorcyclists.
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