Ogiwara doubles up in Mugello Rookies thriller

1 week ago 30

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2026 Red Bull Rookies Cup

Round Three – Mugello

Ryota Ogiwara turned Mugello’s slipstream lottery into a Japanese masterclass, winning both Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup races in Italy to slash Beñat Fernandez’s championship lead.

The 17-year-old Japanese rider had already shown his potential with a podium at Le Mans, but Mugello was the weekend where he stepped from contender to genuine title threat.

Across two typically frantic Rookies Cup races, Ogiwara twice judged the final-lap chaos better than anyone, first snatching victory from Fernandez in Saturday’s opener, then backing it up on Sunday with a second win by just 0.011 seconds.

It was classic Mugello. Big packs, constant position swapping, slipstream chess down the front straight, and a field so closely matched that one missed apex or mistimed tow could send a rider from podium contention to the edge of the top ten.

González starts the weekend on pole

David González opened the weekend in style by claiming pole position with a 2m00.208, continuing the form that had already carried him to victory at Le Mans.

Ogiwara qualified second, 0.374 seconds away, despite having no previous race experience at Mugello, while Guillem Planques completed the front row after showing strong pace through Friday practice and qualifying.

The depth of the field was underlined by the fact that the top ten in qualifying represented ten different nationalities. It also hinted at what was to come.

Mugello’s long, straight, and fast, flowing layout was always going to draw the field together, and once the lights went out, outright qualifying pace became only part of the equation.

Championship leader Beñat Fernandez started from 13th, with Fernando Bujosa alongside on row five, while Aussie Archie Schmidt faced a tougher task from 26th on the grid.

Race One becomes a Mugello melee

Saturday’s opening race quickly turned into a rolling brawl, with a lead group of more than a dozen riders trading places almost lap after lap.

Fernandez worked his way into the fight and spent plenty of time near the front, doing exactly what a points leader needed to do at a circuit where patience and placement matter as much as raw pace.

Fynn Kratochwil also looked increasingly comfortable as the race unfolded, while Sullivan Mounsey charged from deep on the grid to put himself in victory contention.

The final lap was as messy and opportunistic as expected. Mounsey briefly looked positioned to steal it, Fernandez appeared to have the best run from Bucine, and Kratochwil was close enough to capitalise if the two ahead tripped over each other.

Ogiwara, though, read the finish best. He used the tow, timed his run beautifully and flashed over the line 0.074 seconds ahead of Fernandez.

Kratochwil completed the podium, only 0.242 seconds from the win, with Mounsey fourth and local hope Giulio Pugliese fifth. Just 0.928 seconds covered the top 12, underlining how little separated a podium from the lower edge of the points.

Ogiwara changes the plan for Sunday

Sunday’s second race was delayed and shortened from 13 laps to 12, but the change in distance did nothing to calm the contest.

This time Ogiwara wanted to lead into Bucine, rather than rely on the slipstream to rescue him on the run to the flag. That is not always the obvious Mugello strategy, as the rider leading out of the final corner can be a target for everyone tucked in behind. But Ogiwara judged the exit well enough to make the plan work.

Kratochwil came closest, crossing the line just 0.011 seconds behind, while Planques rebounded from his disappointing Saturday to take third. Fernandez was fourth, 0.066 seconds from victory, with Carlos Cano fifth after changing to longer gearing to make better use of the Mugello draft.

The top five were covered by just 0.082 seconds.

Ogiwara said afterwards that he had wanted to be leading into the final corner and make the perfect exit. He managed exactly that, and in doing so completed a rare and impressive Mugello double.

Kratochwil and Planques make their mark

While Ogiwara took the headlines, Kratochwil also left Italy with his best Rookies Cup weekend so far.

The 15-year-old German was third on Saturday and second on Sunday, showing composure in exactly the sort of chaotic pack racing that can expose inexperience. He admitted even he would not have believed such a result before the weekend, but by Sunday, he had looked every bit a podium regular.

Planques also salvaged his round in style. The French rider had qualified on the front row but could manage only 15th in Race One, a result that clearly frustrated him. On Sunday, he recovered from being shuffled back in the middle phase of the race, positioned himself well for the last lap, then followed Ogiwara through to claim third.

Cano’s fifth was another important result, particularly after a slower start to his 2026 campaign. The Spaniard had been one of the riders to experiment with gearing for the Mugello slipstream and was rewarded with a place in the victory fight.

Fernandez still leads, but the gap shrinks

Fernandez did not win at Mugello, but second and fourth across the weekend kept him on top of the championship.

Even so, the momentum changed. Ogiwara took a perfect 50 points from the Italian round and cut Fernandez’s advantage to 14 points after six races. Fernandez still leads with 107 points, but Ogiwara is now up to 93 and very much in the title conversation.

Bujosa remains third in the standings, but Mugello hurt his campaign. A Race One non-score and 11th in Race Two left him on 69 points, now 38 behind Fernandez and 24 behind Ogiwara.

Kiandra Ramadhipa sits fourth on 56, with Kratochwil’s big Mugello haul lifting him to fifth on 52.

Schmidt scores his first point

Australian rookie Archie Schmidt had a difficult qualifying session and started from 26th, but his race pace was far more competitive than that grid position suggested.

He finished 19th in Race One, only 2.354 seconds behind the winner after 13 laps, then improved to 15th in Race Two to score his first championship point of the season.

That Sunday result came in another tightly packed contest where Schmidt was just 3.741 seconds from victory, a useful step forward at one of the fastest and most demanding circuits on the calendar.

Assen awaits

The Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup now heads to Assen for Races Seven and Eight.

Mugello rewarded timing, racecraft and bravery in the draft, but Assen asks different questions. The Dutch circuit’s rhythm, fast changes of direction and final-sector passing opportunities should again keep the front group tightly packed, but the way riders build a lap there is very different to Mugello.

Fernandez will arrive still carrying the championship lead, but Ogiwara leaves Italy with two wins, full confidence and a title gap that suddenly looks far more manageable.

Red Bull Rookies Results – Mugello Race One

Pos

Rider

Bike

Time/Gap

1	R. Ogiwara	Ktm	26’36.157
2	B. Fernandez	Ktm	+0.074
3	F. Kratochwil	Ktm	+0.242
4	S. Mounsey	Ktm	+0.258
5	G. Pugliese	Ktm	+0.695
6	D. Da Costa	Ktm	+0.700
7	Y. Karpushin	Ktm	+0.649
8	T. Borg	Ktm	+0.851
9	M. Marulanda	Ktm	+0.891
10	K. Ramadhipa	Ktm	+0.924
11	E. Sparks	Ktm	+0.926
12	K. Daniel	Ktm	+0.928
13	K. Singhapong	Ktm	+1.429
14	C. Cano	Ktm	+1.467
15	G. Planques	Ktm	+1.627
16	A. Daquigan	Ktm	+2.162
17	A. Almeida	Ktm	+2.189
18	J. Van Crugten	Ktm	+2.340
19	A. Schmidt	Ktm	+2.354
20	A. Fernandez	Ktm	+11.463
21	K. Tinez	Ktm	+32.688
22	D. Gonzalez	Ktm	+33.125
NC	T. Varga	Ktm	1 lap
NC	F. Bujosa	Ktm	1 lap
NC	C. Borrelli	Ktm	4 laps
NC	L. Agostinelli	Ktm	9 laps

Red Bull Rookies Results – Mugello Race Two

Pos

Rider

Bike

Time/Gap

Speed

1	R. Ogiwara	Ktm	24m33.242	153.7
2	F. Kratochwil	Ktm	+0.011	153.7
3	G. Planques	Ktm	+0.040	153.7
4	B. Fernandez	Ktm	+0.066	153.7
5	C. Cano	Ktm	+0.082	153.7
6	K. Singhapong	Ktm	+0.707	153.7
7	K. Daniel	Ktm	+0.716	153.7
8	T. Borg	Ktm	+0.717	153.7
9	S. Mounsey	Ktm	+1.048	153.6
10	T. Varga	Ktm	+1.078	153.6
11	F. Bujosa	Ktm	+1.817	153.6
12	L. Agostinelli	Ktm	+1.907	153.6
13	Y. Karpushin	Ktm	+3.383	153.4
14	G. Pugliese	Ktm	+3.444	153.4
15	A. Schmidt	Ktm	+3.741	153.4
16	D. Gonzalez	Ktm	+3.757	153.4
17	E. Sparks	Ktm	+3.786	153.4
18	C. Borrelli	Ktm	+3.838	153.3
19	M. Marulanda	Ktm	+3.865	153.7
20	A. Fernandez	Ktm	+3.959	153.3
21	D. Da Costa	Ktm	+6.146	153.1
22	J. Van Crugten	Ktm	+24.257	151.3
NC	K. Ramadhipa	Ktm	1 lap	153.6
NC	K. Tinez	Ktm	1 lap	153.5
NC	A. Daquigan	Ktm	1 lap	153.5
NC	A. Almeida	Ktm	9 laps	149.9

Red Bull Rookies Cup Points


Pos	Rider	Points
1	FERNANDEZ Beñat	107
2	OGIWARA Ryota	93
3	BUJOSA Fernando	69
4	RAMADHIPA Kiandra	56
5	KRATOCHWIL Fynn	52
6	MOUNSEY Sullivan	49
7	SINGHAPONG Kiattisak	47
8	BORG Travis	46
9	DANIEL Kristian	44
10	MARULANDA Mateo	41
11	GONZALEZ David	38
12	PUGLIESE Giulio	35
13	KARPUSHIN Yaroslav	32
14	PLANQUES Guillem	30
15	DA COSTA David	24
16	CANO Carlos	16
17	TINEZ Kerman	15
18	SPARKS Ethan	15
19	AGOSTINELLI Luca	11
20	DAQUIGAN Alfonsi	7
21	VARGA Tibor	6
22	BORRELLI Cristian	3
23	ALMEIDA Afonso	2
24	SCHMIDT Archie	1
25	FERNANDEZ Alejandra	1
26	VAN CRUGTEN Jurrien	0