Ahead of the second half of the 2026 MotoGP season, Ai Ogura has firmly established himself as one of the championship’s leading riders.
With a maiden victory at the Dutch Grand Prix and three more podium finishes, the Trackhouse rider sits second in the standings, trailing championship leader Jorge Martin by 14 points while holding a four-point advantage over defending champion Marc Marquez.
Still only in his second MotoGP season, the Japanese rider’s success did not happen overnight. It represents the pinnacle of a development pathway that began more than a decade ago in a one-make junior series designed to uncover Asia’s next generation of talent: the Moto4 Asia Cup, then known as the Asia Talent Cup.
While Ogura made his debut a year earlier, it was the championship’s third season in 2016 that assembled what is now regarded arguably as its strongest-ever class. Contested over six rounds in Thailand, Qatar, Japan and Malaysia, Thailand’s Somkiat Chantra claimed the title after edging Ogura and Indonesia’s Andi Farid Izdihar in a closely fought championship battle that went down to the Sepang finale, while Indonesia’s Gerry Salim and Japan’s Yuki Kunii also celebrated victories during the season.
Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, that grid produced far more than future MotoGP riders. It gave rise to a generation that today forms the backbone of Asian motorcycle racing across Grand Prix, WorldSBK and the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC).
More importantly, the class of 2016’s success cemented the Moto4 Asia Cup’s reputation as a genuine stepping stone to world championship racing, paving the way for graduates such as Hakim Danish, Azroy Anuar, Veda Pratama and Mario Aji.
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The latest intake returns to action at the Sepang International Circuit from July 31 to August 2 for the second round of the 2026 season, with riders including Hayato Chishiki, Qabil Irfan and Bintang Pranata hoping to follow the pathway forged by Ogura and his contemporaries.
Whether any of them can match the achievements of the class of 2016 will only be known years from now. For the moment, that remarkable generation remains the benchmark for what the Moto4 Asia Cup can produce.
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While Ogura now leads the way in MotoGP, here is where some of the other standout riders from that landmark 2016 class are today.
Somkiat Chantra
The 2016 champion became the first graduate from that class to reach MotoGP, making history as Thailand’s first premier-class rider after progressing through Moto2, where he claimed two race victories. Although his MotoGP stint was brief, Chantra remains part of Honda’s factory programme in 2026, competing in WorldSBK and representing the manufacturer at the Suzuka 8 Hours.
Andi Farid Izdihar
After finishing third in 2016, Andi Farid progressed through the European and Grand Prix ranks before returning to Asia, where he has established himself as one of Indonesia’s leading superbike riders. The 28-year-old now races for JDT Racing Team in the ARRC’s ASB1000 class alongside defending champion Hafizh Syahrin.
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Ryusei Yamanaka
While several of his 2016 peers moved between championships, Ryusei Yamanaka has built one of the longest Grand Prix careers, competing in Moto3 continuously since 2019. With more than 120 Grands Prix to his name, the Japanese rider has become one of the category’s most experienced competitors, proving that longevity at world championship level is an achievement in itself.
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Can Öncü
Can Öncü’s name is forever etched into Grand Prix history after winning the 2018 Valencian Community Grand Prix on his Moto3 debut, becoming the youngest Grand Prix winner at the age of 15 years and 115 days. Rather than remaining on the MotoGP ladder, the Turkish rider later switched to the Supersport World Championship, where he is contesting his seventh season in 2026.
Deniz Öncü
After finishing 10th in 2016, Deniz Öncü returned to win the Moto4 Asia Cup title a year later before graduating to Moto3 and Moto2. He made history in 2025 by becoming the first Turkish rider to win a Moto2 race with victory at the Aragon Grand Prix, further underlining the depth of talent that emerged from the class of 2016.
