As of round 17 Race · updated 10/13/2026, 07:18 PM (Japan time)

Riders

Daijiro Kato

Nationality: Japan
Bike: Honda
Born: July 4, 1976(age 50)
Birthplace: Saitama
Height / weight: 162 cm / 51 kg (official profile, fetched October 2026; weight and height change over time)

Photos (6)

1998
At this race · Rikita · CC BY-SA 3.0
1998
At this race · Rikita · CC BY-SA 3.0
2003
At this race · Rikita · CC BY-SA 3.0
2011
Rikita · CC BY-SA 3.0
2011
Rikita · CC BY-SA 3.0
2018
Rikita · CC BY-SA 4.0

Freely licensed photos from Wikimedia Commons. Tap a photo for its source page (photographer, licence). The year is when it was taken.

Birth date and place from the official rider profile

Career

Made a Grand Prix debut in 250cc at Suzuka in 1998.

In 250cc (1998–2001): 32 starts, 15 wins, 22 podiums. In MotoGP (2002–2003): 17 starts, 0 wins, 2 podiums.

First podium: Suzuka 1998 (250cc). First win: Suzuka 1998 (250cc). World champion: 2001 250cc.

In all, 49 Grand Prix starts, 15 wins and 24 podiums (within the official results database).

Written automatically from the official results database (no opinions about the rider)

Season by season

250ccMotoGP ★ Champion

The strip shows each year's team (team colour). Tap for team and machine

Scope: official results DB, 1996–2003 (the rider's racing years)

Totals

250cc1996–2001 ★ 1 titles (2001)

Win rate47.2%

Podium rate69.4%

Average finish (when classified)avg P3.1

658 pts · Poles 10

4 of these races have no result in the official data; their results come from the Italian Wikipedia.

MotoGP2002–2003

Win rate0.0%

Podium rate11.8%

Average finish (when classified)avg P5.8

117 pts · Poles 1

Points are counted per class, never added across classes. Tap a number for the list of races | Scope: official results DB, 1996–2003 (the rider's racing years)

Against the greats, and the class of their debut

Grand Prix debut in 1996. Of the 63 riders who debuted that year, 0 also raced in 2026.

Valentino Rossi 9 world titles
19 races together: ahead 3, behind 16, both out 0
Max Biaggi 4 world titles
19 races together: ahead 5, behind 13, both out 1
Loris Capirossi 3 world titles
18 races together: ahead 8, behind 9, both out 1

Greats: 2+ world titles or 30+ MotoGP / 500cc wins. Up to 4 who shared 10+ races, most titles first. A finisher counts as ahead of a non-finisher.

Results by condition (races)

All classes 53 races · 250cc / MotoGP

By circuit (best average first)Small sample

In All classes, best at Rio (average P1.0, 3 races)

Rio250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P1.0

Estoril250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P1.0

Jerez250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P1.7

Welkom250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P2.3

Phillip Island250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P2.7

Suzuka250cc 5 · MotoGP 2avg P2.8

Motegi250cc 3 · MotoGP 1avg P3.0

Sachsenring250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P3.0

Sepang250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P3.0

Valencia250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P3.3

Le Mans250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P3.5

Brno250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P3.7

Catalunya250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P4.3

Donington250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P6.0

Mugello250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P6.5

Assen250cc 2 · MotoGP 1avg P10.3

Average finish across classes (Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP and so on together). See each class below for class-only figures. Only circuits with 3+ races count as a best track.

MotoGP 17 races · 2002–2003

By grid positionSmall sample

average grid average finish (classified)

Grid 1–3	2.2 → 3.7	0 wins / 5 races
Grid 4–6	5.2 → 6.0	0 wins / 4 races
Grid 10–15	12.2 → 5.8	0 wins / 5 races
Grid 16〜	16.5 → 12.0	0 wins / 2 races

By circuit (best average first)Small sample

Jerez1 racesavg P2.0

Brno1 racesavg P2.0

Welkom1 racesavg P4.0

Phillip Island1 racesavg P4.0

Valencia1 racesavg P4.0

Sepang1 racesavg P5.0

Donington1 racesavg P7.0

Catalunya1 racesavg P8.0

Suzuka2 racesavg P10.0

Assen1 racesavg P12.0

Rio1 races—

Le Mans1 races—

Mugello1 races—

Sachsenring1 races—

Motegi1 races—

Estoril1 races—

MotoGP: all in the Multiple suppliers era; no track-condition records.

250cc 36 races · 1996–2001

By grid positionSmall sample

Starting Grid 1–3: average finish 2.0

average grid average finish (classified)

Grid 1–3	1.8 → 2.0	16 wins / 24 races
Grid 4–6	5.4 → 6.4	1 wins / 5 races
Grid 7–9	7.5 → 4.3	0 wins / 4 races
Grid 10–15	11.5 → 5.0	0 wins / 2 races

By circuit (best average first)Small sample

In 250cc, best at Suzuka (average P1.4, 5 races)

Rio2 racesavg P1.0

Estoril2 racesavg P1.0

Suzuka5 racesavg P1.4

Welkom2 racesavg P1.5

Jerez2 racesavg P1.5

Phillip Island2 racesavg P2.0

Sepang2 racesavg P2.0

Catalunya2 racesavg P2.5

Motegi3 racesavg P3.0

Sachsenring2 racesavg P3.0

Valencia2 racesavg P3.0

Le Mans2 racesavg P3.5

Brno2 racesavg P4.5

Donington2 racesavg P5.5

Mugello2 racesavg P6.5

Assen2 racesavg P9.5

250cc: all in the Multiple suppliers era; no track-condition records.

Fewer than 30 races: small sample (dashed). Average finish counts classified finishes only | Scope: official results DB, 1996–2003 (the rider's racing years)

Distance ridden and distance travelled

Counted from 1949 (lap lengths before 1998 researched from published sources: estimates)2 races with an estimated lap length

Ridden on the bike

Every session

at least 3,329 miles
0.1× around the Earth · 1,132 laps

Travelled between circuits

at least 171,069 miles
6.9× around the Earth · at least 15.4 days

From 1949. Every session in the seasons with the lap analysis documents, races only before. Tests not included. Laps × that year's lap length.A minimum, calculated from straight-line distances between circuits. Connections, tests and trips home are not included, so the real figures are longer.

Every race

100%Start rate (48/48)

0Longest run of absences (races)

48Longest run of starts (races)

0Estimated points lost to absences

1Win3Podium8Points18No pointsRRetired–Absent

2000 250cc P3 · 259 pts

2001 250cc P1 · 322 pts

2002 MotoGP P7 · 117 pts

Tap a cell for the event, qualifying, sprint and race results and points

? How the estimate is made

Estimate = average of the last 3 races before each absence

Seasons in which at least half of the races were started | Scope: official results DB, 1996–2003 (the rider's racing years)

1996	Suzuka	grid 5	3 +16
1997	Suzuka	grid 3	1 +25
1998	Suzuka	grid 1	1 +25
1999	Motegi	grid 10	5 +11
2000	Welkom		2 +20
2000	Sepang	grid 2	3 +16
2000	Suzuka	grid 1	1 +25
2000	Jerez	grid 3	2 +20
2000	Le Mans	grid 1	6 +10
2000	Mugello	grid 8	3 +16
2000	Catalunya	grid 7	4 +13
2000	Assen	grid 6	8 +8
2000	Donington	grid 5	10 +6
2000	Sachsenring	grid 7	4 +13
2000	Brno	grid 8	6 +10
2000	Estoril	grid 2	1 +25
2000	Valencia	grid 13	5 +11
2000	Rio	grid 3	1 +25
2000	Motegi	grid 1	1 +25
2000	Phillip Island	grid 3	3 +16
2001	Suzuka	grid 1	1 +25
2001	Welkom	grid 1	1 +25
2001	Jerez	grid 1	1 +25
2001	Le Mans	grid 1	1 +25
2001	Mugello	grid 6	10 +6
2001	Catalunya	grid 1	1 +25
2001	Assen	grid 2	11 +5
2001	Donington	grid 2	1 +25
2001	Sachsenring	grid 3	2 +20
2001	Brno	grid 2	3 +16
2001	Estoril	grid 2	1 +25
2001	Valencia	grid 5	1 +25
2001	Motegi	grid 2	DNF
2001	Phillip Island	grid 3	1 +25
2001	Sepang	grid 1	1 +25
2001	Rio	grid 2	1 +25

2002	Suzuka	grid 6	10 +6
2002	Welkom	grid 14	4 +13
2002	Jerez	grid 4	2 +20
2002	Le Mans	grid 5	DNF
2002	Mugello	grid 16	DNF
2002	Catalunya	grid 15	8 +8
2002	Assen	grid 17	12 +4
2002	Donington	grid 11	7 +9
2002	Sachsenring	grid 9	DNF
2002	Brno	grid 2	2 +20
2002	Estoril	grid 2	DNF
2002	Rio	grid 6	Out on lap 1
2002	Motegi	grid 1	DNF
2002	Sepang	grid 3	5 +11
2002	Phillip Island	grid 10	4 +13
2002	Valencia	grid 3	4 +13
2003	Suzuka	grid 11	DNF