Tadayuki Okada
Tadayuki Okada (Japanese冈田 忠 之, Tadayuki Okada; born February 13, 1967 in Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese motorcycle racer.
Okada, nicknamed " Taddy " was longtime Honda factory rider and has been in his career, twice runner-up in the Motorcycle World Championship.
Career
Tadayuki Okada was from 1989 to 1991 on Japanese Honda 250 cc champions. Between 1989 and 1992 he took in this class, each as a wildcard rider, at his home Grand Prix in the MotoGP World Championship and arrived here in 1992 to second place behind Luca Cadalora.
250 cc World Championship
For the 1993 season was Tadayuki Okada official factory Honda rider in the 250cc World Championship. He came in his first full World Cup year regularly in the points, achieved two second places and was charged with 120 counts WM- eighth. 1994 Tadayuki Okada fought with the Italian Max Biaggi long for the world championship crown, but eventually had to settle for 20 points behind content with the runner-up title. At his home race at Suzuka he achieved his first Grand Prix victory at the Grand Prix of Argentina later victory was followed by number two. In the 1995 season Okada succeeded no victory in the World Cup overall standings he finished fourth. When 8- hour race at Suzuka he could celebrate together with the New Zealander Aaron Slight his first victory this year.
500 cc World Championship
For the 1996 season Tadayuki Okada moved to the 500cc class, where he co-developed the V2 NSR500V as a factory Honda rider and the seventh World Cup took place. 1997 Okada started on a four-cylinder Honda factory team. He won the Grand Prix of Indonesia in Sentul his first 500cc world championship race and was behind his Australian team-mate Mick Doohan, who won twelve of the 15 races, Vice World Champion. 1998 had Tadayuki Okada because of a wrist injury miss four races, coming in only the eighth world ranking.
In the 1999 season Tadayuki Okada showed stronger performance again and won the Grand Prix in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Australia. With 211 points he had in the standings only his Spanish team-mate Àlex Crivillé and the U.S. Suzuki riders Kenny Roberts Jr. defeated. In the 8-hour Suzuka he celebrated, this time with Alex Barros from Brazil, his second victory.
After a disappointing season verlaufenen 2000, in which the Japanese succeeded in not a single podium more, Tadayuki Okada opted for a change in the Superbike World Championship.
Superbike World Championship
In the 2001 season Tadayuki Okada started for Castrol Honda in the World Superbike Championship. His teammate was the U.S. champion from 2000, Colin Edwards. Okada achieved three podiums and eighth overall.
Test driver
After the 2001 season Tadayuki Okada ended his World Cup career and worked as a test and development driver for Honda, where he was instrumental in the development of the RC211V MotoGP machine and RC212V. In the 2008 season Okada returned as a wildcard rider once again back in the premier class of motorcycle racing at the Grand Prix of Italy at Mugello and tested as part of the Grand Prix, a new version of the RC212V, the engine was equipped with pneumatic valve control. He reached the 14th place.