Tadayuki Okada

Tadayuki Okada
Tadayuki Okada on the Honda NSR500V
Nationality	Japanese
Born	February 13, 1967
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1989 - 2000, 2008 First race 1989 250cc Japanese Grand Prix Last race 2008 MotoGP Italian Grand Prix First win 1994 250cc Japanese Grand Prix Last win 1999 500cc Australian Grand Prix Team(s) Honda Championships None Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 116 6 36 7 8 1250 Superbike World Championship Active years 2001 Manufacturers Honda 2001 championship position 8th Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 25 0 3 0 0 176

Tadayuki 'Taddy' Okada (born February 13, 1967) is a Japanese former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was runner-up in the 1994 250cc and in the 1997 500cc World Championship.^[1][2]

Early career

Okada won the 250cc All Japan Road Race Championship in three successive years from 1989 to 1991 for Honda.^[3] Honda then entered him into the 250cc World Championship in 1993.^[2] He was runner-up in the series in 1994, and fourth in 1995.^[1][2]

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.^[1][2] 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.^[4] Okada chose to retire at the end of the year. He made a one-off wildcard appearance at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix at Mugello in June, finishing 14th, in the first race for the pneumatic valved Honda RC212V.^[5] He's currently the team manager for Honda Team Asia, currently fielding two Kalex bikes for Takaaki Nakagami and Ratthapark Wilairot in Moto2 and two Honda bikes for Hiroki Ono and Khairul Idham Pawi in Moto3.

Grand Prix career statistics^[1]

Points system from 1988 to 1992:

Points system from 1993 onwards:

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

References

External links

• Tadayuki Okada profile at Crash.net