Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi is the idol of several active MotoGP riders. Many of them had the opportunity to race against The Doctor, who competed in the premier class until he was 42 years old.
Four riders on the current grid – Francesco Bagnaia, Marco Bezzecchi, Franco Morbidelli and Luca Marini – are graduates of Rossi’s VR46 academy.
And outside the VR46 stable, Fabio Quartararo says he always idolised Rossi, which left him with mixed emotions when he succeeded the Italian at Yamaha’s factory team in 2021.
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But while Rossi is one of motorcycle racing’s biggest legends, he was inspired by a rider who only won three races in the premier class.
Norick Abe was an inspiration to Valentino Rossi
Norifumi ‘Norick’ Abe made his 500cc debut on home soil at the 1994 Japanese Grand Prix as a wildcard on the Honda. In the first of Mick Doohan’s five title-winning seasons, Abe fought for victory until falling in the closing stages.
The breakout display earned him an opportunity with Kenny Roberts’ Yamaha team, and he would spend the rest of his career racing for the Iwata manufacturer in various guises. Abe competed in the premier class until the end of the 2004 season, scoring 17 podiums overall.
As Adam Wheeler explained on the Paddock Pass podcast earlier this year, Abe employed an ‘inexplicable’ riding style that made him captivating to watch. Rossi was one of those who was entranced.
Wheeler said: “We were lapping into the Mick Doohan era, and to have this Japanese rider out of nowhere, suddenly leading the Grand Prix and riding in that really, really bizarre style…
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“He was sliding the 500 around like crazy, and of course inspired a certain Valentino Rossi. You’ll find pictures on Google and you’ll think, ‘How on Earth is he riding a motorcycle like that?’
“He seemed to be incredibly hunched over the front end, body leaning in the opposite direction that he should go. It was kind of inexplicable, but it somehow seemed to work.
“He became the first Japanese rider to win his home GP when he returned to Suzuka [1996]. Another king of the two-strokes. Abe was one of those that laid it all out on the line, made a GP career.
“A very charming, quiet guy. His demeanour was the opposite to how it was on the bike, where he had his hair flapping out the back of his helmet and, of course, was just riding around with both wheels not really in line or in sync at any one time.”
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Writing in his autobiography, Rossi called Abe a ‘madman’ and ‘an absolute nutter’. But his ‘fearless’ mindset made for some ‘outrageous’ overtakes.
Abe was anything but overawed when he went up against Doohan and Kevin Schwantz on his debut, passing both riders in the space of two corners. It remains one of the most extraordinary wildcard appearances the sport has ever seen.
Tadayuki Okada is the most successful Japanese rider with four wins (between 1997 and ’99), just ahead of Abe. Makoto Tamada has also picked up a couple of victories in 2004.
Abe raced in the World Superbikes championship for two years after leaving MotoGP and passed away in 2007.
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