Mari Igata (; March 16, 1958 – August 13, 2024) was a pioneering Japanese professional

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

road racer Road racing is a North American term to describe motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held on a closed circuit—generally, a purpose-built racing facility—or on a street circuit that uses temporarily closed public ...

. She would become the first woman to race in the

Suzuka 8 Hours The is a motorcycle endurance race held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan each year. The race runs for eight hours consecutively, and entrants are composed of two or more riders who alternate during pitstops. History The race began in 1978 as a ...

and the

All Japan Road Race Championship The is the premiere motorcycle road racing championship in Japan. It is run by the Motorcycle Federation of Japan (MFJ) (日本モーターサイクルスポーツ協会) – the Japanese affiliate of the FIM. History The MFJ was formed in 1 ...

. A member of the Showa era, Igata is remembered for breaking barriers for Japanese women in sport, as well as creating opportunities for the next generation with her Team Mari racing school. Igata was the elder sister of championship racer Tomoko Igata.

Background

Mari Igata was born in

Bunkyō is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as ...

, Tokyo in 1958. Igata became interested in motorcycles early, buying a 50cc Honda Dax in her second year of high school. In 1975 at age 18, Mari was hired by Honda as an administrative typist. She soon turned to racing when she learned about Honda's "Blue Helmets" team. Initially, she was turned away, but kept returning to the team's club room, performing menial tasks such as refueling the bikes until they suggested giving her a 125cc to ride. In 1978, she made her competitive debut, initially on 125cc motorcycles. In 1982, she was the second woman in Japan to be promoted to an International A-class license when she was 24 years old. From 1983 to 1984 she participated in the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race, becoming the first woman in the world to do so. By 1985, she placed 5th in the All Japan Championship International A-class 125 rankings. Her fifth-place ranking would be the highest result achieved by a woman for 39 years, when Shizuka Okazaki placed fourth in the rankings in 2024. Tsukuba Circuit TC1000

In 1987 at age 30, Mari had an accident at

Tsukuba is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of January 1, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 256,526 in 121,001 households and a population density of 900 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 wa ...

while racing in the All Japan Road Race Championship. Coming into the final corner, she fell, breaking her femur and pelvis, and suffering internal organ damage. Igata had to relearn how to walk, and found riding a motorcycle painful. Despite efforts to return to racing, she eventually retired from competitive sport in 1990.

Team Mari

Eager to remain involved in motorsport while recovering, in 1988, she founded
Team Mari
a motorcycling school for women. It was the first motorcycle training school exclusively for women in Japan. The school has trained more than 16,000 women to ride, and has taught motorcyclists across Japan the principles of safe motorcycling. The school and training continues today, held in Saitama, Motegi, Suzuka and elsewhere in Japan where it has been supported by Honda Motorcycles and Bridgestone.

Later years

In 2003, Mari Igata was diagnosed with

myasthenia gravis Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a long-term neuromuscular junction disease that leads to varying degrees of skeletal muscle weakness. The most commonly affected muscles are those of the eyes, face, and swallowing. It can result in double vision, ...

. In 2004, due to worsening health issues, Mari Igata's sister Tomo Igata took over day-to-day management of Team Mari. Mari Igata retired completely from her racing school in 2010. On 13 August 2024, Mari Igata died suddenly of complications of myasthenia gravis at age 66.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Igata, Mari 1958 births 2024 deaths Japanese motorcycle racers Japanese motorsport people Female motorcycle racers Motorcycle racing biography stubs Japanese sportspeople stubs