Masao Azuma
Encyclopedia
Masao Azuma was a Japanese Grand Prix
motorcycle
road racer
(born March 24, 1971 in Osaka, Japan) who competed in the 125cc class from 1996
to 2003
. During his eight years in the 125 class he rode exclusively for Honda
and used Bridgestone
tyres for six of those years. He finished in the Top 5 of the Championship for four consecutive years.
in 1996 and finished an impressive 6th.
season for the LB Racing Team and showed good consistency regularly finishing just outside the top 10. He scored a best finish of 4th, again at his home round at Suzuka. He finished the season in 15th place in the Championship.
(now renamed the Liegeois Playlife Racing Team) Azuma began a serious title bid, winning 5 of the first 8 races, securing 2 pole positions (interestingly the only poles of his career) and leading the 125cc Championship. Disaster awaited at Rd 10 in Brno
however. During qualifying a small deer ran onto the track right into the path of Azuma’s accelerating motorcycle. In the ensuing crash, Azuma was not seriously injured and raced the next day eventually finishing 12th. However, it was to be a turning point in the year, and perhaps his career. The remaining six rounds saw erratic and relatively poor results from Azuma, while his title rivals Marco Melandri
and Emilio Alzamora
gained on him in the Championship. Melandri scored 5 race wins in the latter half of the season, and Champion-to-be Alzamora’s consistent podium finishes would eventually relegate Azuma to 3rd in the Championship. This was to be his highest Championship finish.
season was an erratic one with 4 DNFs countered by 6 podiums. He put together a good string of results towards the end of the season with a fifth, two second places and a win at the final round in Australia, but the inconsistency up to then meant he couldn’t challenge for the title. He finished the Championship in 4th.
season started out promising with Azuma winning two of the first three races. (By winning the first race of the new season and the last race of the previous season Azuma was to set a 125 class record that would not be repeated again until 2007
when Hector Faubel
won the last race of 2006
and the first race of 2007
.) However, an inconsistent season was to follow and Azuma never managed to make it onto the podium during the rest of the season. He finished 5th in the Championship almost 100 pts adrift of eventual Champion Manuel Poggiali
.
season got off to a slow start, his only podium appearance being a win at the Brazilian Grand Prix
near the end of the season. This was to be his final win at World Championship level. He finished the season 8th in the Championship.
In 2007, he worked with Bridgestone tyres as their MotoGP Field Engineer for the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team, and in 2008 he switched to the works Ducati MotoGP team in the same role.
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
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...
(born March 24, 1971 in Osaka, Japan) who competed in the 125cc class from 1996
1996 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1996 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 48th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Honda's Mick Doohan continued his domination of the 500 class with 8 victories. His Repsol Honda team-mate, Àlex Crivillé beat him to the line twice in Austria and the Czech Republic...
to 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...
. During his eight years in the 125 class he rode exclusively for Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
and used Bridgestone
Bridgestone
The is a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese....
tyres for six of those years. He finished in the Top 5 of the Championship for four consecutive years.
Early career
Azuma began racing minibikes at an early age in the Japanese national championships. He was the Japanese National 125cc Champion in 1993 and 1994. He made his 125cc World Championship debut as a wildcard at SuzukaSuzuka Circuit
, Suzuka Circuit for short, is a motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Mobilityland Corporation, the subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..-Introduction:...
in 1996 and finished an impressive 6th.
1997
Azuma competed in the full 19971997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 49th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:A fourth world championship in a row for Honda's Mick Doohan with another dominating performance. He broke Giacomo Agostini's record for victories in one season with 12 wins. It...
season for the LB Racing Team and showed good consistency regularly finishing just outside the top 10. He scored a best finish of 4th, again at his home round at Suzuka. He finished the season in 15th place in the Championship.
1998
Azuma joined the Leigeois Competition team and aside from four DNFs never finished outside the top 10. Five podium finishes, including a debut win in Australia saw him finishing 5th overall in the Championship and marked him out as one of the top Japanese riders and a title contender for the following year.1999
With the same team in 19991999 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1999 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 51st F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:The dominant reign of Honda's Mick Doohan came to an end with serious injuries suffered in practice for the Spanish Grand Prix. In his absence, his Honda team-mate Àlex Crivillé...
(now renamed the Liegeois Playlife Racing Team) Azuma began a serious title bid, winning 5 of the first 8 races, securing 2 pole positions (interestingly the only poles of his career) and leading the 125cc Championship. Disaster awaited at Rd 10 in Brno
Masaryk Circuit
The Masaryk circuit or Masarykring, now referred to as the Brno Circuit, refers two Czech racing circuits located close to the city of Brno.The original circuit was made up of public roads, and at its longest measured nearly...
however. During qualifying a small deer ran onto the track right into the path of Azuma’s accelerating motorcycle. In the ensuing crash, Azuma was not seriously injured and raced the next day eventually finishing 12th. However, it was to be a turning point in the year, and perhaps his career. The remaining six rounds saw erratic and relatively poor results from Azuma, while his title rivals Marco Melandri
Marco Melandri
Marco Melandri is a motorcycle road racer currently racing for the Yamaha World Superbike Team. Melandri is also a former 250cc World Champion in 2002...
and Emilio Alzamora
Emilio Alzamora
Emilio Alzamora i Escardibul is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was the 1999 F.I.M. 125cc world champion...
gained on him in the Championship. Melandri scored 5 race wins in the latter half of the season, and Champion-to-be Alzamora’s consistent podium finishes would eventually relegate Azuma to 3rd in the Championship. This was to be his highest Championship finish.
2000
Now under the Benetton Playlife banner, Azuma’s 20002000 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...
season was an erratic one with 4 DNFs countered by 6 podiums. He put together a good string of results towards the end of the season with a fifth, two second places and a win at the final round in Australia, but the inconsistency up to then meant he couldn’t challenge for the title. He finished the Championship in 4th.
2001
The 20012001 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...
season started out promising with Azuma winning two of the first three races. (By winning the first race of the new season and the last race of the previous season Azuma was to set a 125 class record that would not be repeated again until 2007
2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 59th F.I.M Road Racing World Championship season. The 2007 season was significant as it introduced a new regulation which specifies that competitors in the MotoGP class can use up to 800 cc motorcycles; between 2002 and 2006, competitors had...
when Hector Faubel
Héctor Faubel
Héctor Faubel Rojí is a professional motorcycle road racer. He currently competes in the 125cc Grand Prix World Championship.Faubel has been racing full-time since 2002, always on Aprilia bikes...
won the last race of 2006
2006 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix
__FORCETOC__The 2006 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix was the last race of the 2006 Motorcycle Grand Prix season. It took place on the weekend of 27 –October 29, 2006 at the Valencia circuit.-Moto GP Classification:-250cc Classification:...
and the first race of 2007
2007 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2007 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix was the opening round of the 2007 MotoGP championship. It took place on the weekend of 8 -March 10, 2007 at the 5.38 km Losail International Circuit in Qatar.-Moto GP Classification:-250cc Classification:...
.) However, an inconsistent season was to follow and Azuma never managed to make it onto the podium during the rest of the season. He finished 5th in the Championship almost 100 pts adrift of eventual Champion Manuel Poggiali
Manuel Poggiali
Manuel Poggiali is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion from San Marino. He was the 2001 125cc World Champion, and the 2003 250cc World Champion. He scored 12 race wins, 11 pole positions, and 35 podium finishes...
.
2002
Now in the Trial by Breil team, Azuma’s 20022002 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....
season got off to a slow start, his only podium appearance being a win at the Brazilian Grand Prix
Brazilian motorcycle Grand Prix
The Brazilian motorcycle Grand Prix was a motorcycling event that was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season.-Multiple winners :-Multiple winners :-By year:...
near the end of the season. This was to be his final win at World Championship level. He finished the season 8th in the Championship.
2003
Moving to the Ajo Motorsports team, Azuma struggled to make headway, with only 4 Top 10 finishes all season and 7 DNFs. He announced his retirement at his home race, the Pacific GP at Motegi, with 4 rounds still to go. At the following GP in Malaysia, he recorded his best result all year with a 2nd place. He retired from racing at the end of the season, finishing in 16th place in the Championship.Post-racing career
While his riding career was over, Masao Azuma continued to work in the MotoGP paddock.In 2007, he worked with Bridgestone tyres as their MotoGP Field Engineer for the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team, and in 2008 he switched to the works Ducati MotoGP team in the same role.