News - Why Japan ?
02/18/2007





 The first picture of a Japanese rider who marked leads us back in 1992. I was reading Grand Prix Magazine, a European magazine dedicated to the GP and Superbike (too early disappeared). On the September issue cover, Wayne Rainey and a medallion about the Suzuka 8 Hours race. In it, the photograph of a Japanese rider, unknown in Europe, but representative of his compatriots. A helmet design very different from the geometrical lines (then so current in world championships) and fluorescent colours. In 1991, Kevin Schwantz had an original pink fluo coloration on his leather front armlevers for the German GP (picture on left). His leather was a RS Taichi one, “made in Japan”... Randy Mamola, my other idol, was also under contract with a Japanese leather manufacturer: Kushitani.

In 1990’s, Japan was perhaps the country able to engage “wild card” riders to battle for victory in the three categories at the national GP in Suzuka. Among these riders, revealed at their first international appearance : Norifumi Abe, Daijiro Kato, the Aoki brothers or Tetsuya Harada. When they stay on their wheels, they are frightening contenders. The wisest succeed in building a beautiful career, the most intrepid mark our spirits in a different way...

My interest didn’t stop increasing. Today, I keep an eye on the Japanese championships (article on left) while waiting to meet new stars on the international circuit. That’s why Japan is one of the best represented nations best in my galleries with 34 watercolours (to be continued...).

Illustrated biographies to come in 2007 :
- Norifumi Abe
- Shinya Nakano
- Makoto Tamada
- Yukio Kagayama

[ ©  Mon petit atelier 2007]
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