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| | | | MotoGP : Norifumi Abe is gone |  Written: 08/10/2007 : 11:32. Read 14756 times (17/day). | Norifumi « Norick » Abe, famous motorcycle rider died in a motorcycle accident on road, when he hit a truck. Abe was 32 years old and raced in Motorccycle Grand prix championship an MotoGP from 1994 to 2004. He won three races, Japan GP in 1996 and 2000, and Rio De Janeiro GP in 1999. Until 2006 he was race rider i,n WSBK championship.
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Norifumi Abe was born the September 7th 1975 in Tokyo. When he was eleven, Mitsuo Abe his father and Auto Race driver, makes him began racing minibikes, and spent his earlier career competing in motorcross. He turned to road racing when he was fifteen and also competed in the United States. In 1992, he was the runner up in the 250cc category for the domestic National A championship; the following year, at the All Japan Road Race Championship Norick won the 500cc title at the category's final year and became the youngest title winner.
In 1994, while racing in his home championship, he had a chance to race at the 1994 Japanese Grand Prix as a 'wild card' He shocked the field by challenging for the win until three corners from the finish before falling off. His performance impressed Kenny Roberts' Yamaha team, and he was offered two more rides in 500cc championship that year, which yielded two 6th places and an earned him a full-time Grand Prix ride for the 1995 season.
He took his first podium finish in 1995, and his first win and 5th overall a year later. The team he rode for in 1997 was run by another former champion, the paraplegic Wayne Rainey, and Abe took regular points finishes over the next two seasons including four podiums. He joined the D'Antin team in 1999, won at Rio that year, and won again at Suzuka a year later, amidst two seasons on less competitive machinery, in which his solid finishing ensured that his 100% record of top 10 championship finishes continued.
However, 2002 was the first year of MotoGP regulations, and Norick did not like these bikes. As such, when D'Antin went over to them for 2003, Norick left the team, and instead acted as a factory test rider and occasional guest racer for Yamaha. He got another chance in the Tech 3 Yamaha team for 2004, but was unsuccessful, and was moved to Yamaha's returning World Superbike squad for 2005. Despite having less support than Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt, he finished in the championship top 10. In 2006 he was less competitive, failing to score a podium.
In 2007, he competed in the All Japan Superbike Championship, again on a Yamaha.
Norick, when not racing enjoyed skiing, snow boarding, downhill mountain biking and poetry.
On October 7, 2007, he was killed in a street accident with a truck, which made a sudden illegal u-turn, while riding a 500cc scooter in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
Norifumi will stay as one of the most talented japanese rider of those past ten years. He was also very nice and approchable, he was also very loved by MotoGP fans.
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 jdb600rr (09-10-2007): God Speed Norick.
Jim Borkowski
Wisconsin, USA
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