Tadayuki Okada

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Tadayuki Okada
Nationality Flag of Japan Japanese

Grand Prix motorcycle racing career
Active years 1989 - 2000
Teams Honda
Grands Prix 115
Championships None
Wins 6
Podium finishes    36
Career points 1248
Pole positions 7
Fastest laps 8
First Grand Prix 1989 250cc Japanese Grand Prix
First win 1994 250cc Japanese Grand Prix
Last win 1999 500cc Australian Grand Prix
Last Grand Prix 2008 MotoGP Italian Grand Prix

Tadayuki 'Taddy' Okada (born February 13, 1967) is a Japanese professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was runner-up in the 1994 250cc and in the 1997 500cc World Championship.

Contents

[edit] Early career

Okada won the 250cc All Japan Road Race Championship in 3 successive years from 1989 to 1991 for Honda, who took him to the 250cc World Championship in 1993. He was runner-up in the series in 1994, and fourth in 1995.

[edit] 500cc and beyond

Okada stepped up to 500cc in 1996, helping develop the V-twin Honda NSR500V and finished the season in 7th overall. In 1997, he had three wins and finished second to Mick Doohan. He missed several races in 1998 due to a wrist injury but bounced back in 1999 to finish third in the championship, with wins at Assen, Brno and Phillip Island[1]. Going into the final round of the season he was second in points, but lost out to final-race winner Kenny Roberts, Jr.. After a largely unsuccessful 2000 he switched to the Superbike World Championship for 2001, without winning a race although taking three podium finishes and 8th overall,[2] choosing to retire at the end of the year. Okada made a one-off wildcard appearance at the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello in June 2008, finishing 14th, in the first race for the pneumatic valved Honda RC212V[3].

[edit] Grand Prix career statistics [1]

Season Class Motorcycle Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd
1989 250cc Honda NSR250 1 0 0 0 0 10 28th
1990 250cc Honda NSR250 1 0 0 0 0 0 -
1991 250cc Honda NSR250 1 0 0 0 0 0 -
1992 250cc Honda NSR250 1 0 1 0 0 15 13th
1993 250cc Honda NSR250 13 0 3 0 0 120 8th
1994 250cc Honda NSR250 14 2 6 0 0 214 2nd
1995 250cc Honda NSR250 13 0 5 0 1 136 4th
1996 500cc Honda NSR500 15 0 3 1 1 132 7th
1997 500cc Honda NSR500 15 1 8 3 2 197 2nd
1998 500cc Honda NSR500 9 0 3 0 1 106 8th
1999 500cc Honda NSR500 16 3 6 3 2 211 3rd
2000 500cc Honda NSR500 16 0 1 0 1 107 11th
2008 MotoGP Honda RC212V 1 0 0 0 0 2 -
Total 116 6 36 7 8 1248

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Rider Statistics - Tadayuki Okada", MotoGP.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-11. 
  2. ^ "Tadayuki Okada Career Statistics", WorldSBK.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-11. 
  3. ^ "Honda about to make engine decision", Autosport.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-1. 

[edit] External links