Hörde precis at Kato lämnat oss.....

[Ravetrancer]

Hörde precis att Kato inte är med oss längre.....det skulle finnas mer att läsa på www.eurosport.com
:-(

R.I.P.

 

[Ravetrancer]

Daijiro Kato 1976 - 2003

The MotoGP and Motorsport world is in mourning following the unfortunate death of one of Japan's most popular, and successful riders, Daijiro Kato. The 26-year old began his full-time World Championship career in 2000 before claiming a dominant 250cc World title just a year later.

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DAIJIRO KATO: Australian 250cc GP Champion - 2001



In just two full seasons, Kato had amassed 17 Grand Prix victories, all with the Gresini Honda team, equalling equal Japan's greatest GP winner Tetsuya Harada. Following his 250cc success, he moved to the Queen category, and following a hugely impressive and consistent debut, in which he finished the season seventh.

Kato began his rise to motorcycling stardom at the age of five on the miniature pocket bikes. Four years later, in 1985, he was crowned Japanese champion, before moving up to the following 'Mini Bike' category, claiming four national titles.

From there he moved began racing road-going machines, racing 125cc and 250cc bikes until 1994 in the All Japan Series, claiming his first recognised victory at Aida. Two years later, Honda Racing Corporation signed him up, claiming third in the Japanese Grand Prix as a wildcard on his debut before winning the race, again as a wildcard, for the following two years.

The success launched him into the World Championship in 2000 with the Gresini Honda team.

In his debut 250cc season, Kato finished third, scoring four Grand Prix victories and was recognised as the only consistent challenger to the dominant Aprilias. A year later, Kato swept aside all before him, claiming eleven dominant victories, beating Mike Hailwood's previous record of ten wins in a season, to win the title.

Kato's passage into the MotoGP category in 2002 was a formality, chasing the dream of becoming his nations first premier class champion. Kato rode a NSR500 two-stroke, claiming a second position in the Spanish GP of Jerez, before being awarded a dominant RC211V at the German GP, claiming another second at the Czech GP.

Kato, who lived in the Italian town of Cattolica near theMisano circuit on the Adriatic coast, leaves a wife Makiko andtwo children - a son called Ikko and a baby girl, who was bornon March 26 and has yet to be named.

 

[Mr. Fraghappy]

Är det nån som hur det gick till eller utreder dom fortfarande

 

[avatar]

Är det nån som hur det gick till eller utreder dom fortfarande

Dom har undersökt både banan och hojen men orsaken är och förblir troligtvis en gåta.

 

[Izze]

http://www.amasuperbike.com/image/motogp/suzuka03/race/katocrash/

 

[Petrus]

Trist.
Vem hade trott att det skulle ske i en såpass kontrollerad miljö som motogp? Tragiskt, och en nybliven far pånytt dessutom.

 

[Ludde]

Läste på racingforumet att det finns en amatörvideo på Kato precis innan kraschen.... Har dock inte sett den själv... modem...

R.I.P.

HA DE GÔTT

 

[Rille]

Trist att det kan gå så i så kontrollerad miljö.

 

[gixxermixxer]

jobbigt, ska det aldrigt ta slut nån gång, det är en om dagen snart, det börjar bli lite väl många dödsolyckor

 

[Bj]

R.I.P

 

[DucceMike]

Tråkigt som bara den..