Daijiro KATO

When 2001 250cc World Champion and 17 time Grand Prix winner Daijiro Kato was taken away from the motorcycling world on Sunday April 6th 2003 at the Suzuka circuit, the sport lost one of its major talents. In addition the paddock sadly lost an unassuming and friendly character and Japanese motorsport said goodbye to one of its leading lights.



At the time of his tragic death Kato was at the start of his second season in MotoGP having taken two podium results the previous year in 2002 - his maiden campaign.

The 26 year old had completely dominated 250cc racing in 2001 with 11 wins and 13 podiums, onboard Honda machinery. Indeed he stayed loyal to the Japanese manufacturing giant throughout his career, right from his World Championship debut in 1996 where he took third position at the circuit that would later claim his life.

Kato boasted many traits of a successful racer and his standards rapidly became a benchmark for other competitors to work towards, although they mostly had to follow. His 500cc debut term saw performances that were not as fluid as his 250 days but it was a learning year and one can only imagine what he would have been capable of had he still been around to compete in the 800cc era.

Kato’s achievements remain an inspiring target for young Japanese road racers, while his legacy lives on via the new safety measures that arrived in MotoGP after his untimely passing.