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Yamaha Confirms Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura as 2027 Factory Riders

Yamaha says the two-season signings are meant to jump-start a performance turnaround following a weak 2026 campaign with ongoing V4 engine problems.

Overview

  • Yamaha officially announced Martin and Ogura will join its MotoGP factory team on two-year contracts starting in 2027 and the riders cannot comment while bound by current 2026 deals.
  • Jorge Martin brings championship pedigree as the 2024 MotoGP world champion and is the current points leader in the 2026 standings.
  • Ai Ogura arrives with momentum after winning at Assen, which was the first premier-class victory by a Japanese rider in 22 years.
  • The team framed the signings as a direct response to Yamaha's poor on-track form in 2026 and recurring problems with its V4 engine that have hurt performance.
  • The move reshapes the 2027 grid as customer teams prepare their lineups too, with Pramac retaining Toprak Razgatlioglu and reports suggesting Izan Guevara is likely to join that team though that pairing is not yet official.