Yamaha has confirmed the signing of Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura to form its factory MotoGP squad for the next two seasons.
The announcement of Martin and Ogura’s arrival, first reported by Autosport several months ago, comes a day after Yamaha said goodbye to Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins, leaving Honda and KTM as the only manufacturers yet to officially confirm their factory rider line-ups for the 2027 season.
“We are delighted to welcome Jorge and Ai to the Yamaha Factory MotoGP team as we begin a new era in 2027. Having riders of this caliber underscores our ambition and confidence in the project,” said Paolo Pavesio, Yamaha’s managing director of motor racing, in a statement released by the team.
“Jorge has already established himself as one of MotoGP’s benchmark riders, with the speed, determination and mentality needed to compete for victories and world championships. We expect him to play a key role in improving our results from day one.”
“Ai’s progress over the past season and a half has been exceptional. His talent, work ethic and potential give us confidence that he can become one of the top riders in the championship. At the same time, we are especially proud to welcome a Japanese rider to the Yamaha factory team.”
The confirmation of the signing of Martin and Ogura came at the perfect moment. Martin left Assen last Sunday as the new championship leader, while Ogura took his first premier class victory that same day.
Ai Ogura joins Yamaha straight after his first MotoGP win
Photo: Gold and Goose Photography/Getty Images
With victory at the Dutch Grand Prix, Ogura became the first Japanese rider to win a MotoGP Grand Prix since Makoto Tamada took victory at Motegi 22 years ago.
For Martin, the move to Yamaha marks the end of a turbulent period at Aprilia. His first season with the Noale manufacturer in 2025 could easily be described as an annus horribilis, after a string of serious injuries even forced him to contemplate a possible exit from the Italian marque.
However, the 2024 MotoGP world champion has turned things around this year, returning to victory at Le Mans, taking pole position at Assen and rising to the top of the championship standings. Yamaha management accelerated their pursuit of Martin in January after Quartararo’s move to Honda became clear.
Ogura’s decision materialized after Trackhouse failed to take decisive action to secure its future, opening the door for Yamaha management to step in and complete the deal in just a few days during the American Grand Prix.
Ogura will be Yamaha’s first Japanese factory rider in MotoGP, despite being developed under Honda’s rider program. Honda watched his progress before the two teams parted ways in 2024, the same year Ogura became Moto2 world champion.
Elsewhere in the paddock, KTM is expected to announce that Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio will leave Gresini and VR46 respectively to join the Austrian manufacturer. Meanwhile, Honda is expected to confirm Quartararo’s signing at a later date. At Pramac, Yamaha’s satellite team, Toprak Razgatlioglu is expected to partner Izan Guevara, who is leaving Paolo Campinoti’s Moto2 team.
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– Autosport.com Team