is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

former professional

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

racer and team manager. He competed in the

Motocross World Championship FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps per ...

s from 1975 to 1982. Watanabe is notable for being the first and only Japanese competitor to win an

FIM FIM may refer to: Organizations and companies * Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation * Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States * Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media * ...

motocross world championship.

Motorcycle racing career

Watanabe rode a

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

motorcycle to win the 1974 125cc Japanese motocross national championship earning him a chance to compete in the 1975 125cc motocross world championship.1976 Trans-AMA: Top Ten
''Cycle World Magazine'', January 1977, Vol. 16, No. 1 He won his first international race at the 1975 125cc Spanish Grand Prix, becoming the first Japanese rider to win a motocross Grand Prix. He finished the

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

season ranked fourth in the 125cc motocross world championship. Watanabe returned to compete in the 1976 Japanese motocross national championship where, he finished second in both the 125cc and 250cc classes. Although Watanabe was known as a 125cc class rider, he scored a surprising first moto victory over 500cc world champion

Roger De Coster Roger De Coster (born 28 August 1944) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Motorsport Director of KTM and Husqvarna North America. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1966 to 1980, most prominently as a m ...

at the 1976 Trans-AMA race held at the

Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central regio ...

circuit. Watanabe was leading the

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

125cc motocross world championship after the first two races of the year, but suffered a broken leg in the third race and was forced to miss the rest of the season. After rehabilitating his injury, he returned to compete in the

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

125cc motocross world championship. Watanabe won three Grand Prix races and consistently scored points while his rivals suffered accidents or mechanical problems to become the first and only Japanese competitor to win an FIM motocross world championship. He finished second to his Suzuki teammate

Harry Everts Harry Everts (born February 1952) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1970 to 1982. Everts is notable for being a four-time FIM motocross world champion. In 2013, he was named ...

in the

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

125cc motocross world championship. He continued to compete in the motocross world championships until 1982, when Suzuki withdrew from international motocross competition. Watanabe returned to Japan where he continued to work in the Suzuki racing department as a development and test rider until 1988. He competed in the 1991 Paris to Dakar rally at the suggestion of his former Suzuki teammate

Gaston Rahier Gaston Rahier (1 February 1947 – 8 February 2005) was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1967 to 1979, most prominently as a member of the Suzuki factory racing team where he won t ...

. Watanabe opened a motorcycle shop in his hometown and became an organizer of

enduro Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on extended cross-country, off-road courses. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges. The main type of enduro event, and the format to which the World Enduro Championship is run, is a ...

off-road races. In 2012, Watanabe returned to Suzuki as their motocross team manager. He managed Suzuki rider Kei Yamamoto to the 2012 250cc Japanese motocross national championship.

References

External links

Akira Watanabe Official Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watanabe, Akira Living people 1954 births Japanese motocross riders People from Utsunomiya, Tochigi Sportspeople from Tochigi Prefecture 20th-century Japanese people 21st-century Japanese people