Professional Motorcycle Racer. He was born in Saitama, north of Tokyo, made his motorcycling debut in 1992. He burst in 1996 when he finished third in the 250cc race at Suzuka. Also, he made his mark in grand prix racing when he won the 1999 250cc Japanese GP as a wild card. In that season, he missed out on the 250cc World title in the final race before sweeping to the World crown in 2001, setting records for the most wins in a season (11) and the highest total points scored in the class. Then, he stepped up to the 500cc division in 2002 with a best result of second place. Sadly, he died when he crashed his RC211V Honda coming down to the chicane on lap three of the Japanese GP at Suzuka. He was unable to overcome severe chest, head and neck injuries sustained on April 6.
Professional Motorcycle Racer. He was born in Saitama, north of Tokyo, made his motorcycling debut in 1992. He burst in 1996 when he finished third in the 250cc race at Suzuka. Also, he made his mark in grand prix racing when he won the 1999 250cc Japanese GP as a wild card. In that season, he missed out on the 250cc World title in the final race before sweeping to the World crown in 2001, setting records for the most wins in a season (11) and the highest total points scored in the class. Then, he stepped up to the 500cc division in 2002 with a best result of second place. Sadly, he died when he crashed his RC211V Honda coming down to the chicane on lap three of the Japanese GP at Suzuka. He was unable to overcome severe chest, head and neck injuries sustained on April 6.
Bio by: José L Bernabé Tronchoni
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