Yasutomo Nagai
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 October 1965 |
| Died | 12 September 1995 (aged 29) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Japan France |
| Sport | Motorcycle racing |
Yasutomo Nagai (永井 康友, Nagai Yasutomo) (October 29, 1965 – September 12, 1995) was a motorcycle road racer, born in Koshigaya, Japan.
Early life
Nagai was born in Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan on 29 October 1965.[1]
Career
Nagai raced in Japan's All-Japan Road Racing Championship for many years, spending seven of them in the late 80s and early 90s racing with the Yamaha Motor Company World Team. He was also a member of the 1994 Bol d'Or winning Yamaha France team, with Dominique and Christian Sarron.[1]
Nagai took two pole positions in the Superbike World Championship. He was the first Japanese racer to take a Championship pole outside Japan (in Austria in 1995). He achieved four podium finishes, including a third place finish at Sugo, Japan a few weeks before his death.[1]
Accident and death
Nagai died two days after crashing at Assen, Netherlands during the 1995 Superbike World Championship race. Riding a Yamaha YZF750, he rode over oil spilled on the track by Fabrizio Pirovano’s[1] Ducati 916. As he fell, his Yamaha landed on top of him, fracturing his skull.[1] Nagai's injuries left him in a coma from which he never regained consciousness. Nagai died in a nearby hospital at the age of 29. Despite not taking part in the final two rounds, he was 5th overall in the 1995 standings.[2][3][4]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Motorsport Memorial -". www.motorsportmemorial.org. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
- ^ "Reuters Archive Licensing". Reuters Archive Licensing. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
- ^ "Yasutomo Nagai in coma after crash in World Superbike Championship". The Independent. 1995-09-12. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
- ^ "CPdB, View record [ID:1306]". www.the-fastlane.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-03-18.