Daijiro Kato
1976 - 2003
Die Motorsportwelt trauert um Daijiro Kato!
Zwei Wochen nach seinem dramatischen Unfall beim Grand Prix von Japan in Suzuka
ist Honda-Pilot Daijiro Kato am 19. April 2003 den schweren Verletzungen
erlegen. Der 26-Jährige, der Frau und zwei junge Kinder hinterlässt, erwachte
nicht mehr aus dem Koma, nachdem er bei einer Geschwindigkeit von weit über 200
km/h in eine Begrenzungsmauer gerast war.
Die Nachricht vom Tod des 250er Weltmeisters des Jahres 2001 überbrachte
MotoGP-Chefarzt Dr. Costa: "Aus Japan erreicht uns eine sehr traurige Nachricht.
Es kann nicht genug Tränen geben, um die Trauer zum Ausdruck zu bringen, die die
Lücke von Daijiro Kato reißt, dessen Tod uns alle tief erschüttert."
Das Team Honda-HRC hat derweil die Untersuchungen zu
Katos Unfall ergebnislos abschließen müssen. "Die Bilder sind zu unklar, um
beweiskräftige Schlüsse zu ziehen", teilte der japanische Rennstall in einer
Meldung mit. Zudem konnte auch kein technischer Defekt an der MotoGP-
Rennmaschine festgestellt werden.
Kato ist der 59. Fahrer, der seit 1949 Opfer eines Unfalls bei einem Motorrad - Grand-Prix wurde. Zuletzt war 1994 ein Seitenwagen- Fahrer auf dem Hockenheimring tödlich verunglückt.
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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.
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 the Misano 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.