SUNday August 17, 2025
red Bull Ring, Spielberg. Austria
Red Bull Ring, Spielberg. Austria: Track length: 2.701 miles / 4.348 kilometers
Warm Up: 9.40am – 9.50am – Dry Track
Air Temperature: 60.8°F / 16°C
Track Temperature: 71.6°F / 22°C
#25 Raul Fernandez
P9 – Best Lap: 1’29.885 – Lap 7 of 7
Top speed: 191.13 mph / 307.6 km/h
#79 Ai Ogura
P11 – Best Lap: 1’29.902 – Lap 4 of 6
Top speed: 192 mph / 309 km/h
RACE: 2pm – Dry track: 28 Laps – 75.65 miles / 121.74 kilometers
Air Temperature: 75.2°F / 24°C
Track Temperature: 89.6°F / 32°C
#25 Raul Fernandez – P9 (Race Points: 7 Championship Standing: 12 Total Points: 73)
Race Time: 42’26.478 Best Lap: 1’29.794 – Lap 6 of 28
Average speed: 106.38 mph / 172.1 Km/h Top speed: 194.49 mph / 313 km/h
#79 Ai Ogura – P14 (Race Points: 2 Championship Standing: 16 Total Points: 53)
Race Time: 42’29.497 Best Lap: 1’30.201 – Lap 3 of 28
Average speed: 106.81 mph / 171.9 Km/h Top speed: 193.62 mph / 311.6 km/h
Race Weekend Summary:
#25 Raul Fernandez secures 9th position and #79 Ai Ogura climbs to 14th. Another double points haul for the Trackhouse MotoGP Team.
- Round 13 – the Austrian Grand Prix has a ‘back-to-school’ feel about it – coming after the three-week summer break for the MotoGP World Championship teams. After strong showings for #25 Raul Fernandez over the last five races and a period of rest and recovery for #79, Ai Ogura, following his Silverstone injury and a series of crashes in recent races, the American Trackhouse MotoGP Team arrived in the Styrian mountains, ready to go racing.
- Warm and humid conditions through Friday saw the team make a steady start in the morning 1st Free Practice and then run a strong Practice session in the afternoon with Raul finishing 5th to gain direct entry into Saturdays Qualifying 2 session. Ai just missed the cut in 12th.
- Qualifying on Saturday morning was also run in hot conditions. Ai struggled to find the pace he had shown on Friday and could not make progress from Q1 – ending the session qualified in 19th. Raul, working up his single lap speed in Q2 had progress interrupted by a small crash at the sharp right-handed Turn 3 which meant 9th on the Grid for the afternoon Sprint and the main Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.
- IWith the skies darkening over the Red Bull Ring, the pair of Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP25 bikes lined up for the start of the Sprint race looking to make the most of the new aero upgrade and rear ride height device newly fitted in Austria.
- Raul got away from the start well and gained four places on Lap 1. Racing strongly amongst the front-running group, his RS-GP25 suffered a technical issue with the ride height device which forced his retirement on Lap 9.
- For Ai, progress throughout the race was steady. Initially holding his starting position in the early laps, he gained places as the race progressed and crossed the stripe in 15th. Not the result he was looking for but continuing his experience building and helping with an understanding of refinements needed for Sunday’s 28 lap race.
- No points for the Trackhouse team in the Sprint but pace from Raul and a better understanding of the potential of the #79 Trackhouse Aprilia, especially tire performance, ahead of Sunday afternoon.
- #25 Raul Fernandez got another good start and claimed two places on the first tour around the undulating Styrian track. He climbed another place for 6th on Lap 4 and held that position until mid-race when he slipped three spots to come home in 9th place.
- #79 Ai Ogura also made a good start to Lap 1 before temporarily dropping back and then making three places quickly to 17th. Mid-race and he got to 14th position where he crossed the stripe for some confidence inspiring Championship points.
- Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s factory racing partner, Aprilia, secured 3rd position with Marco Bezzecchi.
- The Trackhouse MotoGP Team leaves Austria with points on the slate with both riders and heads straight to Hungary and the new circuit of Balaton Park for the Grand Prix of Hungary in one week.
RAUL FERNANDEZ
- Grid position: P9 – Started on Front: medium – slick tire & Rear: medium – slick tire
- Raul made a good start and pushed hard on lap 1 to get to 7th first time over the stripe.
- On Lap 4 he gained another place to 6th and ran there until Lap 16 when a wide corner exit pushed him to 8th.
- Two laps later and he was 9th but, from then on, he withstood intense pressure to hold position and bring the #25 Trackhouse Aprilia home for his 6thtop ten finish in as many races.
“I still have to learn some things. At the beginning of the season we were barely fighting for points and right now we are fighting for a top 5 - top 6. So, I need to learn how to manage the tires and everything. It’s not the best track for us, but I believe we saved it quite well and made a good job - just in the last part of the race I had some problems to manage the tires well. Also, I’m still in the process to understand the new aero package and how to manage the tires in this kind of position. I’m happy but also sure we can improve in the future.”
AI OGURA
- Grid position: P19 – Started on Front: medium – slick tire & Rear: medium – slick tire
- Starting from a way back, Ai initially made progress from lights out and briefly held 18th during the first lap. Crossing the line at the end of the lap he was back in 20th but showing pace.
- That pace told on Lap 2 and saw him back to 18th before he was able to move to 17th on Lap 5.
- Gaining ground he battled into 16th on Lap 11 and was 15th three laps later.
- Lap 21 brought 14th position and while he closed on the group ahead in the final laps, he was unable to move any further up the order but, importantly was in the points.
“The race was better than yesterday. We made some changes from yesterday and there was a bit more margin on straight braking, so that was the reason for improvement. Marini was in front of me and passed Jack (Miller) and my pace was almost matching with Marini, but I struggled to pass Jack. I passed him one time, but he fought back and always brakes very late so, for me, it wasn’t easy to find a way past him and it cost a lot of time. But, after I passed him, the race was OK, especially the last five, six laps.”
“We are quite pleased about today because first of all, with Raul, he has been fighting in the top positions for a while, then managed to stay in the top 10 once again. That was the target. Another small piece added to his confidence and on the job we’re doing with him. For Ai, the Qualifying made a big difference. Starting in the last row didn’t help, but we are very happy about his pace. Especially in the second half of the race, he had the pace of the top riders, but he was too far away. Anyway, this showed us a great potential. Now we have to try to work more, try to have a better Qualifying. Qualifying now is very important - Raul was able to start in the first rows and he kept the position. For Ai it was difficult to recover from there, so we have to try to work to have both in the best possible position before the race. Anyway, we take some positive things from today and we’re looking forward to Balaton Park.”
- DAVIDE BRIVIO, TEAM PRINCIPAL
Trackhouse MotoGP Team Championship Standing: 8th Total Points: 126
Next Race: Grand Prix of Hungary. August 22 - 24 – Balaton Park, Hungary
