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, Japan.
Career
Kato was born in Saitama, and started racing miniature bikes at an early age, becoming a four-time national champion in the Japanese pocket-bike championship.
Kato began road racing in 1992, and entered his first Grand Prix in 1996, as a wild-card rider. Initially he and the bike struck a tire barrier, followed by a foam barrier. There was a gap between the tire and foam barriers, and Kato was severely injured when his head struck the edge of the foam barrier, dislocating the joint between the base of the skull and the cervical spine.
Tributes
A month after the crash, on 18 May Honda organised a day whereupon 9,000 people including his last team owner, Fausto Gresini, attended their Aoyama building in Tokyo, where a shrine with exhibits to Daiji-chan had been created. Then British American Racing Formula One driver Takuma Sato led a tribute by expressing his condolences of the death to his friend Daijiro Kato during 2003 San Marino Grand Prix weekend as a test driver.
In 2006, the Misano World Circuit honoured Kato, who lived part of the season in the area, by naming a new access road to the circuit Via Daijiro Kato. That circuit's offices are located on the road named in his memory.
right|thumb|Kato's #74 racing number
Career highlights
1993
- All Kyushu Area Championship: SP250, GP125, GP250 classes.
- Ranking: Championship winner in all 3 classes.
1994
- All Japan Road Race Championship: GP250 class.
- First win at round 9 at TI Circuit in Aida, Okayama.
- Ranking: Seventh.
1995
- All Japan Road Race Championship: GP250 class.
- Ranking: Fifth.
1996
- All Japan Road Race Championship: GP250 class.
- Ranking: Second.
- Kato participated as a wild card rider at the world grand prix championship GP250 race in Japan and finished third.
1997
- All Japan Road Race Championship: GP250 class.
- Ranking: Championship winner.
- Kato again participated as a wild card rider at the world grand prix championship GP250 race in Japan and won the race.
- Kato raced the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan and finished ninth.
1998
- All Japan Road Race Championship: GP250 class.
- Ranking: Eighth.
- Kato again participated as a wild card rider at the world grand prix championship GP250 race in Japan and won the race a second time.
1999
- All Japan Road Race Championship: GP250 class.
- Ranking: Second.
2000
- Grand Prix World Championship: GP250 class.
- Ranking: Third.
- Kato was awarded the Rookie-of-the-Year prize in the GP250 class.
- Kato, teaming with fellow Japanese rider Tohru Ukawa, won the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan.
2001
- Grand Prix World Championship: GP250 class.
- Ranking: Championship winner.
- Kato set a new grand prix world record by winning 11 races throughout the 2001 season. He was also recognized for his efforts to the public by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Science and Technology.
2002
- Grand Prix World Championship: MotoGP/500cc class.
- Ranking: Seventh.
- Kato was awarded the Rookie-of-the-Year prize in the MotoGP/500cc class.
- Kato, this time teaming with American rider Colin Edwards, won the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan for a second time.
2003
- Grand Prix World Championship: MotoGP class.
Career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
By season
{|class="wikitable"
!Season
!Class
!Motorcycle
!Team
!Race
!Win
!Podium
!Pole
!FLap
!Pts
!Plcd
|- align="right"
! 1996
| 250cc
| Honda NSR250
| Team Kotake
| 1
| 0
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 16
| 23rd
|- align="right"
! 1997
| 250cc
| Honda NSR250
| Castrol Honda
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 25
| 19th
|- align="right"
! 1998
| 250cc
| Honda NSR250
| Castrol Honda
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 0
| 25
| 20th
|- align="right"
! 1999
| 250cc
| Honda NSR250
| Castrol Honda
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 11
| 20th
|- align="right"
! 2000
| 250cc
| Honda NSR250
| Axo Honda Gresini
| 16
| 4
| 9
| 3
| 1
| 259
| style = "background : #FFDF9F"| 3rd
|- align="right"
! 2001
| 250cc
| Honda NSR250
| Telefónica Movistar Honda
| 16
| 11
| 13
| 6
| 9
| 322
| style = "background : #FFFFBF"| 1st
|- align="right"
! 2002
| MotoGP
| Honda NSR500<br>Honda RC211V
| Fortuna Honda Gresini
| 16
| 0
| 2
| 1
| 1
| 117
| 7th
|- align="right"
! 2003
| MotoGP
| Honda RC211V
| Telefónica Movistar Honda
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| NC
|- align="right"
! Total
|
|
|
| 53
| 17
| 27
| 11
| 11
| 775
|
|}
Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Year