After a🍸 t🎃wo week battle against horrendous injuries sustained at the Japanese Grand Prix, former 250cc World Champion Daijiro Kato has passed away at the intensive care unit of Yokkaichi hospital.

26-year-old Kato suffered a 200kph acciꦗdent on lap three of the season opening event when he lost control of his RCV after the 130R corner, and veered almost head-on into a trackside barrier.

The resulting impact left him in a coma with serious brain injuries, dislocation of the 1st and 2nd vertebrae with fracturing of the 3rd and devastating♏ damage to his spinal chord as well as numerous shoulder and upper limb frac𝓀tures.

Kato's heart was restarted in the ambulanc༺e, and the factory Honda rider defied the odds by showing some signs of improvement - increased blood pressure and stronger pulse - in the days immediately following the incident, although the spinal inju⭕ries to his neck alone would never have allowed him anything approaching a full recovery.

Kato only commenced his full-time World Championship career in 2000, but was already on his🌳 way toꦜ becoming Japan's most successful Grand Prix rider.

In 2001, he beat Mike Hailwood's record of ten wins in a season on his way to the 250cc world crown, while his 17 World Championship vic🌟tories were enough to eqܫual Japan's greatest GP winner, Tetsuya Harada.

2002 saw Daijiro step up to the MotoGP class as he attempted to become Japan's first ever premier class champion. Initially racing an NSR500 two-stroke, Kato was promoted to a full fac🧜tory RC211V at the German GP, in July. He would take two second place finishes that season, on his way to 7th in the series.

Such was Kato's reputation that even defending World Cham💟pion Valentino Rosꦯsi picked him as a title contender for 2003, in what would have been his first full season on an RCV.

That pr🌳obably sums up th𒈔e tiny Japanese riders talent best - he was considered one of a very elite group of people that could beat Rossi.

Kato leaves behind a wife and two young children, onꦑe of whom was born just days before his accident.

mahbx.com and iꦍts viewers send their deepest condolences to Daijiro's family, friends and t🐽eam.

Kato's dꦆeath is the first fatality in MotoGP since Nobuki Wakai was killed at the 1993 Spanish Grand Prix.

The cause of Kato's accident still remains a mystery, with mechanical failure, contact with another rider🐈 or even a near 'high-side' (causing the back wheel to swing around) all possibilitiꦯes for his sudden change of direction.

Questions🗹 also remain as to why the race wasn't red flagged and the apparently '𒁏rushed' manner in which Kato was moved from the race track, given the obvious seriousness of his injuries.

But nothing can change th❀e past, and today MotoGP lost one of its brightest stars.