Harada first got noticed as a wild card rider - like many of his compatriots - during the Japan Grand Prix 250c and after winning the Japan 250cc Championship, he earned himself a full season of 250cc World Championship Grand Prix racing in 1993 with the Telkor Yamaha Valesi team. He won the first race in Australia and clinched victory in three more rounds. It would take him to World Championship glory at his very first attempt beating the likes of Capirossi, Biaggi, Reggiani, Romboni, Bradl and his former rival in his home country, Tady Okada. His title defence wasn't very much of a success, mainly due to injury. In 1995 & 1996, he couldn't reach the same level of performance as in his debut season and thought about retiring. Aprilia stepped in and offered him a ride to take Biaggi's place ( who had rejoined Kanemoto on a Honda to try and clinch a 4th consecutive 250cc crown ). After a very strong and competitive season, he finished 3d behind Waldmann and Biaggi.
1998 proved to be a very succesfull and yet very disappointing year. It was Harada versus the Italians. Capirossi was again his teammate and 125cc world champion Valentino Rossi had moved up to 250's. Harada managed 5 wins and , going into the final race, needed at least 4 points more than his teammate to clinch the title. Tetsuya was leading the way in Argentina and on the final lap had a gap of around 0.5 seconds to Capirossi come the final corner. Championship in the bag one would think but not the Italian. He braked extremely late and rammed Harada. The Japanese had to retire and Capirossi finished second and ran away with the title to disgust of the racing community. Aprilia immediately broke their engagement with Loris but it left Harada empty-handed...
The #31 followed Aprilia into 500cc and finished 10th in the overall standings in 1999, gathering a few top five finishes along the way. The bike was not competitive in 2000 and in 2001 he returned to the 250's for a final shot at his second world title. With very good results, he completed the Japanese domination of the 250cc class but had to leave the title to the late Daijiro Katoh. Joining MotoGP on Pramac Honda NSR 500, 2002 was a season to forget and he decided to call grand prix racing a day.
What makes him so special to me ? In the early nineties, the Japanese were always very strong when competing in their home round of the world championship and Tetsuya was no exception. However, winning his first 250cc grand prix at the first race of his first full season outside of Japan and a track he doesn't know was very remarkable especially considering the stiff competition he was up against. His daring style and yet being in control of the bike was simply fantatstic to see. I remember him passing one of his rivals at the Dutch TT in Assen 1993. Accelerating from the southern loop onto the fast section leading to the Geert Timmer chicane, he simply stuffed it inside at high speed, taking his rival by surprise. It was a demonstration of his confidence and audacity which led to his world title. In 2005, I had to pleasure to meet him during the Spa 24hours race. He was racing in the Trofeo Maserati and I made sure to catch up on him come end of race. He was very polite, smiling and quite small...a typical motorcycle racer. I expressed my joy in finally meeting him in person and told him I was a huge fan of his. He was very grateful for that and thanked me. When I expressed my discontent on Caporissi's move in 1998, he lifted his shoulders, smiled and said : "Yes, that not good." and then he moved on to join his team. Maybe, Tetsuya was just too nice of a person...
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