Shoya Tomizawa

Shoya Tomizawa was a Japanese motorcycle racer who competed in the MotoGP World Championship. He started his racing career at the age of 3, riding pocket bikes and minibikes. He moved to the All Japan Road Race Championship in 2006, where he achieved impressive results in the 125cc and 250cc classes. He joined the MotoGP in 2009, riding a Honda RS250R in the 250cc class. He finished 17th in the championship with two top-ten finishes. In 2010, he switched to the newly created Moto2 class, riding a Suter motorbike. He made history by winning the first ever Moto2 race at Losail, Qatar, by a margin of nearly five seconds. He followed this up with a pole position and a second place at the next round in Spain. He took another pole position at Brno later in the season. He was seventh in the championship after ten races and was considered a future star by many commentators. However, his promising career was cut short by a tragic accident at the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano. He fell from fourth place on lap 12 and was hit by two other riders. He suffered severe injuries to his head, chest and abdomen and was taken to a hospital in Riccione, where he died shortly after. He was 19 years old. His death shocked and saddened the racing community and fans around the world. He was remembered as a talented, cheerful and humble rider who always had a smile on his face. His bike number 48 was retired in his honour by the MotoGP. He was buried at the Rose Hill Cemetery in his hometown of Asahi, Chiba, Japan.