is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

 road racer

Road racing

Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...

 and development rider. He was All-Japan Superbike champion in 2001. He was also runner-up in 1996 and third in 1999, part of a long run of top-10 series finishes. He finished 3rd in the Suzuka 8 Hours

Suzuka 8 Hours

The is a motorcycle endurance race held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan each year. As the name implies, the race runs for eight hours consecutively and teams are composed of two riders and one alternate.-History:...

 race in 1997, teamed with Shinja Takeishi. He and Keiichi Kitagawa

Keiichi Kitagawa

is a retired Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Japan. He was runner-up in the 1993 F1 All-Japan Road Racing Championship. He won the Superbike World Championship round at Sugo as a wild card rider for Suzuki. Kitagawa coming 16th in the season's overall standings. He was a semi-regular in the...

 came 2nd there in 2000. As of 2006 he is a factory test rider for Suzuki.

Racing fans outside Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 will know him for his regular wild card

Wild card (sports)

The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...

 entries into international championships, primarily in the Japanese rounds. In the Superbike World Championship

Superbike World Championship

Superbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...

 he entered between and , taking a win in the Japanese round in , as well as three further podiums. He was the main development rider for Suzuki

Suzuki

is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...

's GSV-R MotoGP bike, and raced in several times in 2002

2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 54th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The season consist of 16 races, which started with the Japanese Grand Prix on 7 April and ended with the Valencian Community Grand Prix on 3 November....

 and 2003

2003 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 2003 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 55th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Defending champion Valentino Rossi won his 3rd MotoGP championship in 2003, winning 9 races, highlighted by his win at Phillip Island where he was given a 10 second penalty for...

. He nearly caused a major upset at the 2002 Japanese Grand Prix

Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix

The Japanese Motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season.-Multiple winners :-Multiple winners :-By year:...

 by leading for much of the race, before finishing second to Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi, , is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – seven of which are in the premier class.Following his father, Graziano Rossi,...

.

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Class	Bike	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pos	Pts
2000 2000 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 2000 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 52nd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Kenny Roberts, Jr. fulfilled the promise of his 2nd place in 1999 by winning the championship for 2000 with 2 races to spare...	500cc	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...	RSA	MAL	JPN  10	SPA	FRA	ITA	CAT	NED	GBR	GER	CZE	POR	VAL	BRA 2000 Brazilian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2000 Rio de Janeiro motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourteenth round of the 2000 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on October 7, 2000 at the Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet.-500cc classification:-250cc classification:...	PAC	AUS 2000 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2000 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix was the last round of the 2000 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on 29 October 2000 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.-500cc classification:-250cc classification:...	21st	6
2001 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season This article recaps the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season.-Season summary:2001 was the end of the 500 cc era in Grand Prix motorcycle racing; in 2002 the premier class would be renamed MotoGP and dominated by 4-stroke 990 cc machines. However, 2001 was the beginning of another era, that of...	500cc	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...	JPN 2001 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix was the first round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of April 6–8, 2001 at the Suzuka Circuit.- 500cc classification :-References:...   Ret	RSA 2001 South African motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 South African motorcycle Grand Prix was the second round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of April 20–22, 2001 at the Phakisa Freeway.- 500cc classification :- 250cc classification :...	SPA 2001 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix was the third round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of May 4–6, 2001 at the Circuito de Jerez.- 500cc classification :-250cc classification:...	FRA 2001 French motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 French motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourth round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of May 18–20, 2001 at the Bugatti Circuit.- 500cc classification :-References:...	ITA 2001 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix was the fifth round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of June 1–3, 2001 at the Mugello Circuit.- 500cc classification :-References:...	CAT 2001 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix was the sixth round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of June 15–17, 2001 at the Circuit de Catalunya.- 500cc classification :- References :...	NED 2001 Dutch TT The 2001 Dutch motorcycle Grand Prix was the seventh round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of June 28–30, 2001 at the TT Circuit Assen.- 500cc classification :-References:...	GBR 2001 British motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 British motorcycle Grand Prix was the eighth round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of July 6–8, 2001 at the Donington Park.- 500cc classification :-References:...	GER 2001 German motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 German motorcycle Grand Prix was the ninth round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of July 20–22, 2001 at the Sachsenring.-References:...	CZE 2001 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix was the tenth round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of August 24–26, 2001 at the Masaryk Circuit.-References:...	POR 2001 Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of September 7–9, 2001 at the Autódromo do Estoril.-References:...	VAL 2001 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix was the twelfth round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of September 21–23, 2001 at the Circuit de Valencia.-References:...	PAC 2001 Pacific motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 Pacific motorcycle Grand Prix was the thirteenth round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of October 5–7, 2001 at the Twin Ring Motegi.-References:...	AUS 2001 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourteenth round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 12–14 October 2001 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.-References:...	MAL 2001 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix was the fifteenth round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of October 19–21, 2001 at the Sepang International Circuit.-References:...	BRA 2001 Brazilian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2001 Rio de Janeiro motorcycle Grand Prix was the sixteenth and latest round of the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of November 1–3, 2001 at the Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet.-References:...	-	0
2002 2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 54th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The season consist of 16 races, which started with the Japanese Grand Prix on 7 April and ended with the Valencian Community Grand Prix on 3 November....	MotoGP	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...	JPN 2002 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix was the first round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 5 -April 7, 2002 at Suzuka. The race was historic in that it was the first race of the MotoGP class, with engine capacities raised to 990cc from 500cc.-MotoGP...   2	RSA 2002 South African motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 South African motorcycle Grand Prix was the second round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 19 -April 21, 2002 at the Phakisa Freeway.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...	SPA 2002 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix was the third round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 3 - May 5, 2002 at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez.- MotoGP classification :- 250cc classification :- 125cc classification :...	FRA 2002 French motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 French motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourth round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 17 -May 19, 2002 at the Bugatti Circuit located in Le Mans, France.-MotoGP classification:...	ITA 2002 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix was the fifth round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of May 31-June 2, 2002 at the Mugello Circuit.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...	CAT  11	NED 2002 Dutch TT The 2002 Dutch TT was the seventh round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 27 -June 29, 2002 at the TT Circuit Assen located in Assen, Netherlands.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...   15	GBR 2002 British motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 British motorcycle Grand Prix was the eighth round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 12 -July 14, 2002 at the Donington Park circuit.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...   13	GER 2002 German motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 German motorcycle Grand Prix was the ninth round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 19 -July 21, 2002 at the Sachsenring.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...   11	CZE 2002 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix was the tenth round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 23 -August 25, 2002 at the Masaryk Circuit located in Brno, Czech Republic.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:...	POR	BRA 2002 Brazilian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 Rio de Janeiro motorcycle Grand Prix was the twelfth round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of September 20–22, 2002 at Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:...	PAC 2002 Pacific motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 Pacific motorcycle Grand Prix was the thirteenth round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 4 -October 6, 2002 at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...	MAL 2002 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourteenth round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 11 -October 13, 2002 at the Sepang International Circuit.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:...   11	AUS 2002 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix was the penultimate round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 18–20 October 2002 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:...	VAL 2002 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix The 2002 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix was the last round of the 2002 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 1 -November 3, 2002 at the Circuit de Valencia.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...	18th	41
2003 2003 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 2003 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 55th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Defending champion Valentino Rossi won his 3rd MotoGP championship in 2003, winning 9 races, highlighted by his win at Phillip Island where he was given a 10 second penalty for...	MotoGP	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...	JPN 2003 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 Japanese Motorcycle Grand Prix was the first round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 4 -April 6, 2003 at Suzuka. The meeting was overshadowed by the death of Daijiro Kato in the MotoGP race, after he crashed at 130R and hit the barrier at high speed in the...	RSA 2003 South African motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 South African motorcycle Grand Prix was the second round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 25 - 27 April, 2003 at the Phakisa Freeway.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...	SPA 2003 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix was the third round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 9 - 11 May, 2003 at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez.- MotoGP classification :-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...	FRA 2003 French motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 French motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourth round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 23 - 25 May, 2003 at the Bugatti Circuit located in Le Mans, France.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:...	ITA 2003 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix was the fifth round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 6 - 8 June, 2003 at the Mugello Circuit.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...	CAT 2003 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix was the sixth round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 13 - 15 June, 2003 at the Circuit de Catalunya located in Montmeló, catalonia, Spain.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classificaion:...	NED 2003 Dutch TT The 2003 Dutch TT was the seventh round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 26 - 28 June, 2003 at the TT Circuit Assen located in Assen, Netherlands.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...	GBR 2003 British motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 British motorcycle Grand Prix was the eighth round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 11 - 13 July, 2003 at the Donington Park circuit.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...	GER 2003 German motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 German motorcycle Grand Prix was the ninth round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 25 - 27 July, 2003 at the Sachsenring.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...	CZE 2003 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix was the tenth round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 15-17 August 2003 at the Masaryk Circuit located in Brno, Czech Republic.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:...	POR 2003 Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 5 - 7 September, 2003 at the Autódromo do Estoril.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...	BRA 2003 Brazilian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 Rio de Janeiro motorcycle Grand Prix was the twelfth round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of September 18–20, 2003 at Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:...	PAC 2003 Pacific motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 Pacific motorcycle Grand Prix was the thirteenth round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 3 - 5 October, 2003 at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:-125cc classification:...	MAL 2003 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix was the fourteenth round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 10 - 12 October, 2003 at the Sepang International Circuit.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:...   10	AUS 2003 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix was the penultimate round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 17–19 October 2003 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:...   20	VAL 2003 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix The 2003 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix was the last round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of October 31 - November 2, 2003 at the Circuit de Valencia.-MotoGP classification:-250cc classification:...	24th	6

External links

• Crash.net profile