Valentino Rossi has paid tribute to Japanese rider Norick Abe, who was killed in a road accident last weekend.
Italian Rossi was a huge fan of Norick Abe and when he started
his world championship career in 1996 he arrived with the
nickname ‘Rossifumi’, such was his support for the three-times
500 MotoGP winner Norifumi.
Valentino Rossi’s support for Norick Abe started when he watched
him as a wild card riding for Honda as a wild card in the 1994
Japanese MotoGP in Suzuka.
Norick Abe was fighting with legends Mick Doohan and Kevin
Schwantz before he crashed late in an enthralling race.
That performance dazzled a 14-year-old Rossi, who today
(Thursday) in Phillip Island spoke of his sadness at the death of
Abe when his scooter collided with a truck making an illegal U-
turn in Japan. Norick Abe was 32.
Valentino Rossi, who was already mourning the loss last month of
rally hero Colin McRae, who died in a helicopter crash, told MCN:
“For me this not a great year. Two of my idols died in a little over
two weeks, so it is incredible. When I was young I have all the
posters of Norick and McRae in my room. I..." full story on MCN
Norick Abe & Valentino rossi in 2001 - pic from yamaha-racing.com
Valentino Rossi pays tribute to 'inspirational' Norick Abe -ozzy go- motorcyclenews
1975 Norifumi Abe 2007 - MotoGP Racers 1994 2004
Norick Abe in GP500cc in 2000 (Suzuka win) & 2001 whit "Rossifumi"
pictures from Yamaha Racing photos archives
About the Passing Away of Norifumi (Norick) Abe
It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of Norifumi
(Norick) Abe (32) on October 7, 2007, following a traffic accident.
Norick Abe, as he is fondly known by motorcycle race fans
around the world, was competing this season in the JSB1000 class
of the All-Japan Championships from the “Y'S GEAR Racing” team.
Norick was riding a motorcycle in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Pref.
when he met with an accident at about 6:20 pm and he was
pronounced dead at 8:50 pm at the hospital where he was taken
for treatment.
In 1993, Norifumi Abe became the youngest rider ever to win the
pinnacle 500cc class of the All Japan Road Race Championships.
The following year he was competing in the All Japan Superbike
Championship when he joined the Yamaha camp and started
competing in the World GP500cc class. From 1995 he began
competing full-time in the World GP500cc class, where he
eventually compiled a record of three wins, four 2nd places and
10 3rd places in his GP career. This year he returned to the All
Japan Championships and also competed in the Suzuka 8 hours
World Endurance Championship race in July. During his career
Abe was widely known and loved by the fans as a leading figure
in the domestic race scene as well as abroad.
Comment from Takashi Kajikawa, President, Yamaha Motor Co.,
Ltd. “I am deeply saddened to hear this tragic news. Loved by
fans in Japan, Europe and the Americas and throughout Asia,
Norifumi Abe was an irreplaceable ambassador of motor sports
worldwide. Here in Japan the fans were especially excited to see
Abe return to the All Japan circuit after 14 years of international
competition, and certainly their sense of loss at his passing is
great. We pray that his soul rests in peace and we send our
deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.” YamahaRacing
Norifumi Abe
Place of birth: Tokyo, Japan
Born on Sept. 7, 1975
2007 team: Y'S GEAR Racing
1993: Champion of All Japan GP500 class
1994: World Road Race Championships GP500 class debut
1995: 9th in World GP500 class
1996: 5th in World GP500 class (won Japan GP)
1997: 7th in World GP500 class
1998: 6th in World GP500 class 
1999: 6th in World GP500 class (won Rio GP)
2000: 8th in World GP500 class (won Japan GP)
2001: 7th in World GP500 class
2002: 6th in MotoGP
2003: 16th in MotoGP (spot participation)
2004: 13th in MotoGP
2005: 13th in World Superbike Championship
2006: 13th in World Superbike Championship
2007: Ranking 3rd in All Japan JSB1000 class (after 6 rounds)
Norick Abe dies in road accident
Abe is reported to have collided with a truck, while riding a
motorcycle near the city of Kawasaki, after it made an 'illegal' U-
turn in front of him.
Abe was one of Japan's most celebrated racing heroes, having
burst on the scene by battling for victory as a Honda wild-card in
the 1994 500cc Japanese Grand Prix. Abe fell three corners from
the finish, but had done enough to earn a full time ride with
Kenny Roberts' factory Yamaha team for the following season.
The 19-year-old took his first 500GP podium at Suzuka in 1995,
but it was at Suzuka '96 that Abe etched his name firmly in the
record books - by becoming the first home rider to win the 500cc
Japanese GP, and turning him into a national hero overnight.
"I can remember everything about that race," recalled Abe,
speaking in 2005. "It was my second season with Yamaha and I
had been very fast in pre-season. The first two races of the year
were in Malaysia and Indonesia, but they both went very badly
for me, worse than they had done in my debut season in '95. The
third round was my home grand prix at Suzuka and there was so
much pressure on me to do well, it was unbelievable. 
"In practice and qualifying I was no good and by the time the
race came around the pressure had built up so much that I
couldn't even think about what I was doing. In the end it worked
in my favour because I just went out and raced as hard as I
could. Everything came really easily and I was so fast, it was a bit
of a surprise! I finished over six-seconds ahead of [future world
champion] Alex Crivillé... I couldn't believe it really.
"I remember the next day the interest from the press, television
stations and the fans was amazing. More importantly, people
within the sport started taking me seriously. Some people weren't
so sure that I had the talent to win races but after Suzuka '96
they started to look at me differently and trust in my ability. That
race changed my life," declared Norick, who switched to Wayne
Rainey's Yamaha team for 1997 and 1998, before becoming a
d'Antin Yamaha rider from 1999 to 2002.
Abe claimed 17 podium finishes during his grand prix career, with
a best championship position of fifth (1996), but struggled to
convert his raw 500cc pace into the new 990cc four-stroke era
that arrived in 2002. full story on uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
photos - norickabe.com
Norick Abe at the 2007 All Japan JSB1000 Championship Round 1 at
Sugo in April and at the 2007 8 hours of Suzuka in Jully.