Tomoko Igata (井形とも子, born October 30, 1965) is a Japanese former professional

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...

road racer Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

. She competed in the Grand Prix world championships from 1992 to 1995. Igata is notable for being the second full-time female rider after

Taru Rinne Taru Rinne (born 27 August 1968 in Turku) is a Finnish former professional motorcycle racer. She was the first woman to achieve points in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Career Karting Rinne started her racing career in karting, competing against ...

, to compete in Grand Prix motorcycle racing history. In 2016, Igata was named an FIM Legend for her pioneering Grand Prix racing career.

Motorcycle racing career

Igata competed in the 125cc

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 ...

from 1991 to 1993, finishing in the Top 10 every year. Her best result was in 199q when she finished 6th in the Championship. In 1992 Igata made her Grand Prix debut at Suzuka as a wild card where she survived the treacherous wet track finishing 20th and capturing the attention of the media. In

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...

she signed up for a full 125cc World Championship with the FCC Technical Sports team racing a

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

RS125. Igata immediately won two points at the first race in Australia and rode an impressive race in Suzuka, but was injured in a crash at the Austrian Grand Prix and was replaced by her teammate in Japanese championship Tomomi Manako. She returned towards the end of season to finish 28th in the Championship. Igata again competed in the

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

season and achieved a best place finish of 7th at the

Czech Grand Prix The Czechoslovakian Grand Prix (Czech: ''Velká cena Československa''; Slovak: ''Československá Grand Prix'') was a Grand Prix motor racing event held in 1949 at the Masaryk Circuit now referred to as the Brno Circuit. It was held in the town ...

after having also occupied the 5th place during the race; the highest placing for a female in the history of the Championship. She ended the season in 20th. Igata subsequently returned to Japanese racing in the 125cc class but without major success.

References

125cc World Championship riders Japanese motorcycle racers Living people Female motorcycle racers 1965 births {{Japan-motorcycle-racing-bio-stub