is a former Japanese

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

racer, who competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle championships between 1991 and 1998.

Biography

His first appearance at the World Championship was during the

1991 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 1991 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 43rd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Season summary The beginning of the 1990s marked a golden age for Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The rivalry between Wayne Rainey and Kevin ...

, where he competed riding a Yamaha in the 250 cc class. In 1993 he won the

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 196 ...

title in the 125cc class. A year later, he competed in the

1994 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 1994 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 46th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Season summary 1994 was the year in which Honda's Mick Doohan began to stamp his authority on the Grand Prix world. Honda's Longtime spons ...

in the same class, this time for the Aspar Cepsa team with better results, finishing in twenty-sixth position overall. In the

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

and

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

seasons he ranked 14th overall. In

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, he had a podium finish at the

German GP The German Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Deutschland) was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history; the Nürburgring in Rh ...

in thirteenth place overall. He retired the following season, finishing in sixteenth place.

Results

Scoring system from 1993 onwards: (

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in bold indicate

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 ...

, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

References

{{Reflist 1965 births Sportspeople from Kyoto Japanese motorcycle racers Yamaha Motor Racing MotoGP riders 125cc World Championship riders 250cc World Championship riders Living people