The Avant Ajo MotoE rider achieves his best result of the year at Round 5 of the 2021 FIM MotoE World Cup season.

Avant Ajo MotoE and Hikari Okubo completed a solid weekend in Austria, with a positive fifth position in Round 5 of the FIM MotoE World Cup. This result shows the rider’s fruitful adaptation to the electric competition in his debut season. Riding at the Red Bull Ring for the first time with a MotoE bike, the Japanese earned his best result of 2021 to date.

The race was shortened from seven to five laps, which forced Okubo to push hard from the start. The Japanese rider got off the line well from the second row of the grid, going from fourth position to second at the first corner. The Avant Ajo MotoE talent gave his all to keep up with the leaders, but the group broke up on Lap 2 and left him competing for a spot in the Top 5. Okubo eventually took the chequered flag in fifth, his best finish of the season.

At the conclusion of Round 5 of the FIM MotoE World Cup, Okubo occupies 10th place in the FIM MotoE World Cup with 35 points. The Avant Ajo MotoE rider will return to action from September 17-19th, for the sixth and final round of the season – alongside the San Marino Grand Prix.

Results – Race
1. Lukas Tulovic 8:06.616
2. Eric Granado +0.839
3. Dominique Aegerter +1.145
4. Fermin Aldeguer +1.163
5. Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) +1.892

MotoE World Cup Standing 2021
1. Alessandro Zaccone 80 points
2. Eric Granado 73 points
3. Jordi Torres 72 points
4. Dominique Aegerter 69 points
5. Lukas Tulovic 53 points
10. Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) 35 points

AKI AJO – TRAM MANAGER

“It was a good weekend for Hikari [Okubo]. Especially since this was his first time at the Red Bull Ring and, as we know, MotoE riders have a shorter practice and adaptation time. Yesterday he took fourth on the grid, and today he finished the race in fifth place. He did a great job. This gives us greater confidence for the next contest, which will be at Misano – a track that he knows well and where we hope to be fighting for the top positions again.”

78 HIKARI OKUBO

“We achieved our best result of the year, so we have to be satisfied with that. However, I would have liked to have fought for the podium, as I felt very strong today. On Lap 2, I had a little scare that made me more cautious, as the track was not in perfect conditions due to the rain. When I recovered, I tried to push hard again to get up to fifth. I’m looking forward to the next race at Misano, and to keeping on working hard to get a good result.”