(10 December 1990 – 5 September 2010) was a Japanese motorcycle racer. After a successful career in the All Japan Road Race Championship, he switched to
MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
and competed in the 250cc class during 2009. In the 2010 season he rode in the newly created
Moto2
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of ...
class. Tomizawa won the first race of the new class, at
Losail in
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
, winning by nearly five seconds from
Alex Debón
Alex Debón Latorre (born 1 March 1976 in La Vall d'Uixó, Valencia, Spain) is a former professional motorcycle road racer, who last competed in the Moto2 World Championship.
Career
He began racing internationally in 2000 after a handful of wi ...
and
Jules Cluzel
Jules Cluzel (born 12 October 1988 in Montluçon, Allier) is a French motorcycle racer. In 2019 he competes in the Supersport World Championship riding a Yamaha YZF-R6. He scored his first ever Grand Prix victory at Silverstone in Moto2 in 2010.
...
. Tomizawa died after sustaining cranial, thoracic and abdominal trauma at the
San Marino Grand Prix.
Career
Tomizawa was born in Asahi City,
Chiba. He started pocket bike racing at age 3 in 1994, and moved on to minibikes around 2001. While attending Sousa High School in Chiba, majoring in English, he started to fully participate in the 125cc class of
All Japan Road Race Championship
The is the premiere motorcycle road racing championship in Japan. It is run by the Motorcycle Federation of Japan (MFJ) (日本モーターサイクルスポーツ協会) – the Japanese affiliate of the FIM.
History
The MFJ was formed in 1 ...
and gained 2nd place for 2006 season. Rookie of the Year was an added bonus to start the fast-paced career.
Tomizawa appeared on both 125cc and 250cc class in the following year, finishing 3rd in the 125, and 8th in the 250 for 2007 season. In 2008, he focused on the 250cc class and finished 2nd with his eyes set for global challenge.
Upon his high school graduation in March 2009, Tomizawa was recruited by new CIPMOTO-GP250 Team, ended his full-time, first international racing year in 17th place with best results at 10th twice at
Motegi and
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
respectively riding a Honda RS250R.
Tomizawa moved to the new
Moto2
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of ...
class, which replaced 250cc, for . Riding a
Suter
Suter is a surname. Notable people with the name include:
* Alexis P. Suter (born 1963), American blues, and soul blues singer and songwriter
* Andrew Burn Suter (1830–1895), Bishop of the Diocese of Nelson, New Zealand
* August Suter (188 ...
motorbike, he won the inaugural Moto2 race at
Losail, and followed this up with his first Grand Prix
pole position
In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...
and second place at the following round in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
. He took a further pole position at
Brno
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
later in the season. Showing markedly improved form in comparison with his previous years in MotoGP, he was seventh in the championship after ten races. Commentator
Toby Moody
Toby Moody is a British sports commentator focused on motor racing. He was for many years the worldwide voice of the MotoGP series on Eurosport TV, and in 2012, lead commentator on the British Touring Car Championship for ITV4. In 2014 he will comm ...
described him as a "future star".
Death
Tomizawa was competing in the eleventh round of the inaugural Moto2 World Championship, the
San Marino Grand Prix at the
Misano World Circuit on 5 September 2010. On lap 12, holding 4th place, Tomizawa fell at the Curvone, a fast right-hand corner, when he was forced wide and lost grip in his rear tire. He was then struck by the motorbikes of
Scott Redding
Scott Christopher Redding (born 4 January 1993) is a British motorcycle racer. For 2022 he is contracted to ride in Superbike World Championship with BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team after the 2020 and 2021 seasons with Ducati factory WSBK team rid ...
and
Alex de Angelis
Alex de Angelis (born 26 February 1984) is a Sammarinese retired motorcycle road racer.
Career
125cc World Championship
Born in Rimini, de Angelis made his debut at world championship level in 1999 in the 125 cc class; his first full season w ...
, and suffered cranial, thoracic and abdominal trauma. He was initially taken to the circuit's medical centre, before being transferred to hospital in
Riccione
Riccione (; rgn, Arciôn ) is a ''comune'' in the Province of Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. As of 2018, Riccione had an estimated population of 35,003.
History
The oldest archaeological findings in Riccione's area date to the 2nd ce ...
. He died from his injuries at 14:20 local time in hospital, aged 19.
His death was announced at the end of the
MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
race. The podium flags were lowered to half-mast, and the podium was celebrated without champagne.
Tomizawa was the first on-track fatality at Grand Prix level since his countryman
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 died as a result of injuries sustained after a crash during the 2003 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit ...
was killed in the senior class at
Suzuka in 2003. Tomizawa had placed Kato's racing number 74 on his left shoulder as a tribute to him.
Questions have been raised about the treatment of Tomizawa in the aftermath of the crash. Both he and Redding were hurriedly removed from the scene and bundled onto stretchers; the stretcher carrying Tomizawa appeared to be dropped in the gravel trap before he was removed. MotoGP Doctor Claudio Macchiagodena explained that "Many times it is very important to quickly have support. In this situation if you remove quickly, in my opinion, you have more possibility
o help the patient - a statement which ignores the possibility of spinal injuries.
Alex Hofmann
Alexander Hofmann (born 25 May 1980) is a retired Grand Prix motorcycle racer, who now works on German television coverage of the sport. He is nicknamed 'The Hoff' in English-speaking countries, a nod to David Hasselhoff.
Early years
He succes ...
originally reported on German TV that neither Tomizawa nor Redding had suffered life-threatening injuries; he had apparently received this information from Dorna themselves.
It was reported that
Rimini
Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...
's state prosecutor, Paolo Giovagnoli, would begin an inquest that might involve criminal proceedings against as yet unnamed individuals.
Career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
By season
By class
Races by year
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomizawa, Shoya
1990 births
2010 deaths
People from Asahi, Chiba
Sportspeople from Chiba Prefecture
Japanese motorcycle racers
125cc World Championship riders
250cc World Championship riders
Moto2 World Championship riders
Motorcycle racers who died while racing
Sport deaths in Italy
Filmed deaths in motorsport