Honda Team Asia have announced their 2021 rider line-ups for Moto2™ and Moto3™ ahead of the final round of the year with lightweight class title contender Ai Ogura given a promotion to the intermediate class next season. The 19-year-old from Tokyo has battled his way to seven podium finishes in 2020, which sees him head to the Grande Premio MEO de Portugal this weekend only eight points adrift of the World Championship leader Albert Arenas.
In 2021, the Japanese star will swap places with Andi Farid Izdihar as the Indonesian makes the drop down to the lightweight class, following a difficult debut year in Moto2™, to partner Yuki Kunii. Meanwhile, Ogura will partner Somkiat Chantra in the Idemitsu Honda Team Asia Moto2™ garage as the Thai rider gets a third full season in the World Championship.
Hiroshi Aoyama, Team Manager of Honda Team Asia: "We're pleased to continue the 2021 season in two World Championship categories. In Moto3, we will have Yuki Kunii and Andi Farid Izdihar. It will be the second season for Yuki, and I think this second year will be possible for him to have chances to fight for the Championship. He can be more competitive because he has the speed and the spirit. About Andi, it will not be an entirely new category for him. He grew up riding small bikes in the past, going very fast, for example in the Asia Talent Cup and the FIM CEV. We believe he has good skills to ride in Moto3 and to be competitive as well.
"In Moto2 we will have Somkiat Chantra and Ai Ogura. We would like to see Chantra continuing in this category because this continuity gives him the possibility to show how competitive he can be because he has the speed, and the ability to manage these big bikes. We want to see how he can progress during the season. About Ogura, it's going to be a new challenge for him, coming from Moto3. It's going to be challenging for him, but we believe that he has enough speed and talent to compete in Moto2."