Hiroshi Aoyama has been crowned the final 250cc world champion. The 28-year-old Japanese rider finished 22 points clear of closest challenger Marco Simoncelli in the final standings for the category which is being replaced by the new Moto2 class. But here are 10 things you might not know about Red Bull’s latest hero.
1. After leaving KTM, Hiro returned to Honda.
When KTM quit the 250cc class at the end of 2008, Aoyama was left without a ride. Indeed, it wasn’t until quite late that he decided to return to his former employer, Honda. And what the RS250RW lacked in performance, Hiro more than made up for in courage and craziness to always be competitive.
2. He wins his races on the brakes.
Aoyama seems to use his brakes later than anyone. His riding style suits motorcycles that are very stable and very comfortable when using the brakes. “It’s really good to have a bike like this, because at the end of the race, when you’re fighting your rivals, you can overtake easier than the others. That helps to ride a good race," says Hiro with a somewhat modest view of his talents.
3. No one was more consistent in 2009 than Hiroshi.
The key to Aoyama‘s success was his impressive consistency in races. He won on four of his 16 outings with three second places. His worst placing all year was eighth at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans.
4. His personal highlight was Jerez.
When Aoyama won the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez, beating local hero Alvaro Bautista by the width of a tyre (0.132 seconds), he started to believe that 2009 might just be his year. He told reporters after the race: "Maybe, if I do a good job in this team, I might be in the running to win the title."
5. Hiroshi was the first Honda GP student.
Japanese motorbike aces are hard to come by, which is why in 2003 Honda introduced their rookie programme, the Honda GP School for Japanese Riders. And, of course, Aoyama was the first graduate – incidentally, his younger brother Shuhei was the second.
6. His career in the 250cc class took an unusual path.
Compared with most 250cc riders, whose careers took them through the 125cc world championship to the 250cc, Hiro earned his spurs in the Japanese 250cc championship, which he won with Honda in 2003. He had been a wildcard rider in Japanese world championship races since 2000 before switching permanently to the 250cc class of MotoGP in 2004. And, in six years in the category, he has recorded nine wins, 27 podiums and a world championship title.
7. He’s the last of his kind.
Hiroshi Aoyama is the 61st and last 250cc world champion. From next year, the 250cc twin-stroke engines will be replaced by 600cc four-stroke ones and the often hotly contested quarter-litre class will become Moto 2. Incidentally, the first 250cc world champion was Italian Bruno Ruffo in 1949.
8. Hiro is the fifth Japanese motorcycle world champion.
While Japanese manufacturers have dominated the World Motorcycle Championships, Japanese riders have only been able to win five of them. After Tetsuya Harada in 1993 and Daijiro Kato in 2001, Hiro Aoyama is the third 250cc world champion from the Land of the Rising Sun. Kazuto Sakata and Haruchika Aoki each won 125cc titles.
9. The last 250cc world champion has a new challenge in 2010.
Next year, Hiro will be riding a MotoGP Honda from the Emmi Caffé Latte Team. Honda boss Daniel Epp said recently: “We are pleased to announce that we have completed a deal to run a Honda RC212V in the MotoGP class in the 2010 season.”
10. One of his biggest heroes comes away from motorsport.
Aoyama loves motocross and dirt track racing. But he also adores Bruce Lee films.
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