Norick Abe: 1975-2007

It's taken me a day to come to grips with it, which is why this obituary comes so late. Norifumi Abe, popularly known as Norick Abe, burst into the 500cc class with a wild, wild ride as a wildcard at the 1994 Japanese GP. He left quite an impression, and I'm not just talking about this hair streaming from his helmet either. Soon after, he became a premier class regular. Among his fans is Valentino Rossi, who obviously loved Abe enough to go through the RossiFumi phase. The newsreports say Norick was riding a 500cc scooter near the city of Kawasaki in Japan, when a truck pulled an illegal U-turn in front of Norick. Norick collided with the truck and fought for his life for two and a half hours at the hospital. I'd like to offer my condolences to his friends and family. But tell me something, if a GP-class rider like Norick was no match for a truck turning illegally in a country with traffic as disciplined as Japan... when his phenomenal skills was negated by something as daily-event here as a truck behaving badly... what chance do people like you and me have? Be very careful out there guys.

I went to YouTube to look for some vids, but there are too many to post. So click this link to see various Abe videos, including 10-minute clips of his wild ride at the 1994 Japanese GP. Image courtesy: Yamaha Racing