Ayumu Sasaki: "I want to earn a top-team ride and fight for the title"

After winning the Asia Talent Cup and the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, and even fighting for the title in the Moto3 World Championship, Ayumu Sasaki stepped up to Moto2 in 2024 aiming to make further steps forward in his career. His stint in the “middle class” of the MotoGP paddock has proven to be challenging, but after a first year affected by injuries and various problems (with the Yamaha Mastercamp team), Sasaki seems to have found a better situation in 2025.

With the RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team, the Japanese rider has made a solid step forward compared to his rookie year, as he has scored points on several occasions including a 9th place at the Sachsenring, which was his first top-1o finish in Moto2. There is still room for improvement and work to be done, but Sasaki is showing steady progress, and the Japanese talent is looking at the future with certain optimism, and hopes to fight at the front again as he did in Moto3.

Palmen in Motorradsport had the chance to interview Ayumu Sasaki during the Brno GP, where the 24-year-old from Yokosaka answered questions about his past, present, and future.

Ayumu, how is the 2025 season going for you?

Not so bad. We are improving race by race, feeling more comfortable on the bike and a few races have been positive, including my first top 10 finish in Moto2 at Sachsenring. I am quite satisfied.

What's your goal for the next races?

Keep doing what I'm doing now, achieving more top 10s and try to be consistent in the points, that's the target.

What has changed for you this year compared to 2024?

Not much. The main change was moving to a different team. I feel more comfortable with them and communication is going fine. I think we are knowing each other well this year. In 2024 I struggled a bit in having good communication and relationship with the team, but this year I feel way more confident with the people I work with.

As a rider who was in the front positions in Moto3, and then came to Moto2 and has experienced some struggles, how do you live such moments?

Well, you don't enjoy these moments, but also it's not only about you. It’s a team sport: we are not runners, we compete with a motorbike, so we all have to match to be able to fight in the front. I'm working on myself, I'm not the fastest and I'm always learning something to be better, but at the same time the combination among me, my riding style and the bike has to be perfect, so I am able to fight for a win. We are trying to find that right now, and I believe that it will come sooner or later.

After the 2024 season that was very difficult for you, was it staying in Moto2 your first option or did you also think about other championships?

I still believe that I can be competitive in Moto2, so my only target was to stay in this championship. My team right now is very good, but of course my target is to be in a championship fighting team in the future. Right now, I want to perform well enough to get that seat, so that in a few years if I can fight for the championship in Moto2.

Can you summarise a bit the seasons you had in the Moto3 World Championship?

To be honest, I came up in Moto3 when I was 16 and maybe I was a bit too young back then. I didn't know so much the European circuits (apart from those where he raced in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and CEV, ed) and I started to live Europe on my own, so that was a more difficult time. Step by step, and by spending more time in Europe, I found myself more comfortable and I made progress until the great season I had in 2023 with IntactGP. 2022 season was a great one as well, but it was amazing to fight for the championship in 2023.

Has anything in particular changed in you, compared to when you joined Moto3?

I just found a good team and better communication, good crew chiefs, good people that I worked with. I haven't changed anything on my riding style. Of course I'm a bit more mature every season, but in 2023 I was mostly the same person as when I made my debut in the series.

What’s your best memory from the 2022 and 2023 seasons?

The 2023 season was great, every race we were fighting for the win. Emotionally, Valencia was the best race: to get a win in my last race in Moto3, that was the best highlight. In 2022, instead, the best race was in Austria, when I won despite having to serve two long lap penalties. If I had to make a top 3, I add one more race from 2022: my first win, at Austin.

Can you also remind how your racing career started?

My career started when I was eight years old, riding a pocket bike. My grandfather bought me a pocket bike, and that's how we started. Gradually, every year we were improving and just arrived to where I am now. The main milestones were definitely the titles I won in the Asia Talent Cup and the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. The best memory was especially when I won the Rookies Cup, because then I knew I was going to the world championship.

You were mentioning that when you came to the Moto3 World Championship, you were really young and you had just started living in Europe. How big was the change for you, compared to when you lived in Japan?

Everything is different. I was living with my family, but I started living by myself in Europe, in Spain. I didn't know anyone there, so it was quite tough at the beginning, but it was something that I needed to go through. Anyway I have found many friends over the years, and now I feel Spain is like home as well.

Can you speak Spanish?

No, I speak only English. All my friends speak English, so I never had to learn Spanish before. However, I can understand it a little bit.

In 2016 you won the Red Bull Rookies Cup, and you also made your debut in the Moto3 World Championship when you replaced Enea Bastianini at Sepang. How did it feel for you?

It was the best moment, as I was dreaming of being a Moto3 rider for all my life. But at the same time, I already knew I was going to race there in 2017, so it wasn't the biggest surprise. In any case that GP was quite bad, also because it rained all weekend and it made it even harder for me. Still it was great.

At this stage, what’s your goal for the future?

Right now, the goal is to be competitive in Moto2. It's my second season now in Moto2 and the progress is going slower than I expected. But I could expect it, as the level is very high and it’s hard to stand out in this class. I have a two-year contract, so we keep working to improve, and hopefully I can bring this team also towards the front. For the future in general, I want to fight for the title in Moto2 and then race in MotoGP. However, sometimes you can’t go to MotoGP even if you win the championship in Moto2: you need some luck and have to be at the right place at the right time. And this is something I cannot control.

There is one race which means a lot to most Japanese riders: Suzuka 8 Hours. Do you plan to participate in it one day?

At the moment, no. In the future, if I am in one of the Japanese factory teams and can fight for the win, maybe I will, but now I'm fully focused on my career in the world championship.

In conclusion, do you want to thank anyone in particular?

I want to thank everyone who is supporting me and people I came along with, because without them I can't be where I am now. Everyone I met is very important to me and I'm fortunate enough to be here where I am now. I have my dream, so I'm working to make it happen. Hopefully it will come true one day.

Palmen in Motorradsport is grateful to Ayumu Sasaki for his time and to RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP for the opportunity, and wishes them all the best for the next races and seasons.