Daijiro Kato

Daijiro Kato was a Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, the 2001 250cc world champion, and the 2000 and 2002 Suzuka 8 Hours winner. He started racing miniature bikes at an early age, becoming a four-time national champion in the Japanese pocket-bike championship. He began road racing in 1992, and entered his first Grand Prix in 1996, as a wild-card rider. He finished third in the 250cc race at his home circuit of Suzuka. The next year, he won the Japanese Championship, and again entered the Japanese Grand Prix with a wild card, winning the race on this occasion. In spite of these successes, Kato did not ride his first full Grand Prix season until 2000, when he started in the 250cc, riding a Honda. He won four races that season, and placed third in the championship. He also finished all the races in the 2000 season. In 2001, he dominated the 250cc championship. He won no fewer than 11 races, a record in 250cc and still stands today after the class became Moto2, and easily won the title. In that season he also set a new record for the most points in a single season in 250cc class with 322 points. The following season, Kato moved up to the MotoGP class racing for Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) in the Fortuna Gresini Racing team. He took two podiums in his maiden campaign in 2002. On 6 April 2003, during the first race of the MotoGP season at the Japanese Grand Prix held at the Suzuka Circuit, Kato crashed hard and sustained severe head, neck and chest injuries. He hit the wall near the Casio Triangle chicane of the circuit at around 125 mph (200 km,h). He was taken to a nearby hospital and then transferred to Yokkaichi Municipal Hospital, where he remained in a coma for two weeks. He died on 20 April 2003, at the age of 26. He was survived by his wife Makiko and his two children Daiki and Haruna. He was buried in his hometown of Saitama. His bike number 74 was retired in his honour by the FIM. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest riders of his generation and a legend of the sport.