Norifumi “Norick” Abe, one of Japan’s most successful motorcycle road racers, collided with a truck while riding a motorbike in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, and died from the resulting injuries after having been taken to hospital Sunday afternoon, the Asahi Shimbun reports.
Abe was 32 years old.Local police say the collision occurred on a four-lane municipal road, when the driver of the truck made an illegal U-turn, colliding with Abe who was closing in on the truck from behind on its righ-hand side.The truck driver told police he realized he had mistakenly taken the wrong way, and tried to get back on track.
Norifumi Abe was born to the auto racer Mitsuo Abe, and sat on a bike for the first time when he was 5. After finishing elementary school, he spent two years in the United States, perfecting his skills. He won his first Grand Prix title 1996, and went on to conquer the title twice more.Abe, who was also known as Norrick Abe in the English-speaking world and as “the legendary rider” in Japan, had many fans in Japan as well as worldwide.
---More Abe Death Details Emerge by dean adams Sunday, October 07, 2007 More details on Norick 'Norifumi' Abe's apparent death are becoming known now that the news of his death has reached Europe and America. News reports from Tokyo and Yamaha insiders say he was killed in a street accident when a truck pulled a U-turn directly in front of him, and Abe collided with the truck--the same type of accident that killed Mike Hailwood in 1981.
It has been reported that Abe was riding either a motorcycle or a scooter in the incident.Abe was most well known for his raace with Kevin Schwantz and Mick Doohan at Suzuka in the mid-1990s when Abe's aggressive riding and to say-the-least unconventional riding style won him many Japanese fans. After racing in WSBK last season, Abe raced this season in Japan, where was a fairly well known racing celebrity.
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