In Memory of Shoya Tomizawa: An Ambassador of the New Moto2 Class

Today marks the sixteenth anniversary of the untimely passing of Shoya Tomizawa, who was involved in a fatal accident during the Moto2 race at Misano on September 5, 2010. It was precisely in this class that the talented Japanese rider became its most fitting ambassador, reaffirming through his results the merits of the then single-engine Honda 600cc formula.

In Qatar in 2010, Shoya Tomizawa claimed his first and only victory in the World Championship, in the very first race of the new category that replaced the glorious 250cc two-strokes. The perfect ambassador for Moto2, and for good reason. Backed by Honda thanks to his excellent results in All Japan, he made his full-time World Championship debut with the CIP team for the 2009 season, the last for the 250cc class. For him, it was essentially a leap into the unknown. Fresh out of school, he moved to Alès to “learn the trade,” fully aware that his first year in the world championship would be difficult. For several reasons, not least the fact that he had a customer Honda RS250R, far from competitive compared to the Aprilia/Gilera RSA/RSW LE machines or even Honda’s own RS250RW, which later won the world title with Hiroshi Aoyama.

Shoya, however, earned the trust of the entire team to the point that CIP kept him on for 2010 as well. Waiting for better times, while struggling with that Honda Kit. Tomizawa was a “starter”: he could nail prodigious launches off the line, only to be blown past on the first straight by everyone else, powerless with that customer engine. With Moto2, a single-engine formula at the time powered by Honda 600cc, everything changed. First race of the category, first victory for Shoya Tomizawa. Beaming and in tears over an unexpected win, his first cool-headed assessment had to be: “Now that we all have the same engine, they won’t just pass me on the straight anymore—finally I can have some fun!”

This is why, even today, Shoya remains the best ambassador for the Moto2 formula. With the utmost respect and deep nostalgia for the wonderful 250cc Grand Prix two-strokes, these words still serve as the best possible endorsement for the World Championship’s middle class.