This is the first installment of a column in which Yoko Togashi, who worked on HRC’s overseas racing activities from 1986 to 2008, looks back on Tetsuya Harada, the 1993 250cc world champion.

Below is a summary and excerpt from the article. Please refer to the original text for the full version.



■ 250cc World Champion

**“I didn’t think I could win the championship this year. Next year, I’ll aim for the title.”**



September 26, 1993. The final round of the World Championship season, the Spanish GP at Jarama. In the 250cc race, Tetsuya Harada, riding a Yamaha TZ250M, took victory and secured the championship in his first year of Grand Prix competition. In the press conference immediately afterward, the new champion Harada said this.



Before the final round, Harada was second in the championship standings, trailing the leader, Loris Capirossi, by 10 points. This meant that even if Harada won the final race, he would still be unable to claim the title if Capirossi finished within the top three.



For Harada, there was only one option: victory. The positions of the other riders did not matter to him.



After breaking away from a multi-rider battle for the lead in the middle stages of the race, Harada pulled clear and went on to win. Meanwhile, his rival Capirossi made the wrong tire choice and finished fifth.

“When I finished and came back to parc fermé, I was surprised because everyone on the team was overjoyed. That was when I first realized that I had won the championship,” Harada said.



Because several Japanese riders were competing in the World Championship in 1993, many Japanese journalists attended the final round at Jarama. The race was especially significant because both Tetsuya Harada and Kazuto Sakata were still fighting for titles in their respective classes. After securing the 250cc championship, Harada celebrated the moment surrounded by team staff, friends, journalists, and his girlfriend Miyuki Abe.



It was then that the earlier remark came up in the press conference, where he said that he had not been “going for the championship” this year. After the press conference, I was grabbed by several foreign journalists who asked me:



“When Harada said he wasn’t going for the championship this year, what exactly did he mean? Isn’t he happy that he won the title?”



“No, that is not what he meant. Of course Harada is happy that he won the championship. What he is saying is that he really wanted to win this race, and he is happy that he achieved that. Next year, he’ll go for the title from the start.”



I do not know how well I was able to speak for Harada’s feelings, but having watched him over the previous few years, I understood that he was a stoic man with a strong will to achieve his goals, and that he was the kind of person who would only be satisfied if his objective was something he won by his own strength. Before the season began, Harada had said that his goal for 1993, his first full Grand Prix season, was to finish inside the top 10 in the standings.

■ Suzuka Photo Finish

Tetsuya Harada was born in Chiba in 1970 and began racing at age 10 after his father bought him a pocket bike. He quickly built a reputation for winning regularly and became the 125cc novice champion in his rookie season after obtaining his racing license in 1987.

During this period, Harada developed a close friendship and rivalry with Nobuyuki Wakai, whom he regarded like an older brother. Their relationship continued until Wakai’s fatal crash at Jerez in 1993.



After becoming Junior 125cc champion in 1988, Harada moved up to the international A-grade 250cc class in 1989 and, at just 19 years old, became a Yamaha factory rider.



When I later asked Harada who his rival had been during his racing career, he said, “In All Japan, it was Mr. Tadayuki Okada. In GP, it was Max Biaggi.”



The rivalry between Tetsuya Harada and Tadayuki Okada was also a battle between Yamaha and Honda factory teams. One of its most famous moments came at Suzuka in 1992, when the two finished in a dead heat for victory and could not be separated even by photo finish. On that occasion, the two stood together on the top step of the podium. I wanted to see what expressions they would have on the podium, and although I normally never make a point of going near the podium, I went to Suzuka to watch.



Were they happy? Would they shake hands and praise each other for a good fight? …



Instead, the two stood in the center of the podium with sullen expressions. They did not look happy at all, even though they had won, and acted as if the other rider did not exist.



Tetsuya Harada and Tadayuki Okada. Their rivalry would continue even after they moved on to the World Grand Prix in 1993.



Yoko Togashi’s World GP Journey / Tetsuya Harada Vol. 1 The True Meaning Behind the Controversial Remarks After Winning the Championship