It's Official: Martin, Ogura To Yamaha;
Quartararo, Rins Out
Y
amaha has confirmed one
of the biggest rider signings
ahead of MotoGP's new techni-
cal era, naming current World
Championship leader Jorge
Martin and rising Japanese star
Ai Ogura as its factory riders for
the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
The long-anticipated move
completes a dramatic overhaul
of Yamaha's factory lineup, with
Martin joining from Aprilia's
factory squad and Ogura switch
-
ing from the Trackhouse Aprilia
team. Their arrival follows Ya-
maha's confirmation that Fabio
Quartararo and Alex Rins will
leave the team at the conclusion
of the 2026 campaign.
The announcement comes just
months before MotoGP introduc-
es its all-new 850cc regulations
for 2027, with Yamaha placing its
future in the hands of two riders
enjoying outstanding seasons.
Martin, the 2024 MotoGP World
Champion, currently leads the
championship, while Ogura has
emerged as one of season's
revelations, recently claiming his
maiden premier-class victory at
Assen to become the first Japa
-
nese rider to win a MotoGP race
in 22 years.
For Martin, the move marks
another major career change
after previous stints with Ducati
and Aprilia. The Spaniard is
expected to spearhead Yamaha's
bid to return to championship-
winning form after several dif-
ficult seasons, with the manufac-
turer's continued development of
its V4-powered prototype ahead
of the regulation reset.
Ogura's signing is equally sig-
nificant. The 2024 Moto2 World
Champion showed flashes of
brilliance during an injury-plagued
rookie season in 2025 and has
recently stepped up to secure his
first MotoGP race win at the most
recent round at Assen, moving
himself within 25 points of the
title lead held by Martin. His ap
-
pointment also restores a Japa-
nese rider to the factory Yamaha
WIND
IN THE
P32
Ai Ogura (left)
and Jorge
Martin (right)
will team up
in an all-
new Yamaha
MotoGP lineup
for 2027.
