June 20 (Reuters) - Trackhouse Racing's Ai Ogura secured his maiden MotoGP pole at the Czech Grand Prix on Saturday, setting a new lap record at Brno in qualifying, while Marc Marquez finished fifth fastest.
The result marks a breakthrough moment for Ogura as he prepares to lead the field away on Sunday at one of MotoGP’s most demanding circuits.
The Japanese rider, who had already topped Friday’s sessions, clocked a blistering 1 minute 51.130 seconds to take pole, finishing ahead of VR46 Racing Team’s Fabio Di Giannantonio and Francesco Bagnaia, who had taken pole at the circuit in 2025.
Qualifying unfolded at a frantic pace, as LCR Honda’s Diogo Moreira was the first to set the pace before Di Giannantonio moved to the top of the timesheets.
Bagnaia then raised the bar further with a 1:51.383 to provisionally claim pole, only for Ogura to respond with a decisive lap that ultimately secured the top spot.
"The lap was really nice. To be honest, I did not expect to be that fast. It was good to have one fast lap this afternoon. We will see how it goes. It will be a long race," Ogura said.
Di Giannantonio added: "Ogura rode incredibly well. I thought my time was enough. I am happy with my job. On qualifying it was important to be in the front row. I am really happy."
Defending Brno winner Marquez endured a mixed session. His first flying lap was deleted for exceeding track limits, and he went on to qualify fifth, behind Marco Bezzecchi. The Italian rider produced a late improvement to climb the order and finish just outside the front row.
Ogura’s pole position capped a strong weekend so far, with the Trackhouse rider among five competitors to dip below the 1 minute 52 second mark during practice — a session in which Marquez had been the first to do so.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Jan Harvey)
