#dk74

The pre-season started amazingly with Daijiro, but everything was interrupted when the Suzuka incident happened. We did a great job and then everything stopped. My dream dissolved into nothing, because there was a stage where we thought we could not continue that year, understand? Because we did not know how to react. To be honest, when I called Fausto, looking for answers, to ask what we were going to do and I'm just 'fuck I have no idea!' I don't have the strength & I need someone to tell me something or other. 'So he and Chekini (*Fabrizio) gave me the responsibility to say if we would go to South Africa. I remember that during this conversation I was at my house in Switzerland & I was alone, Esther was not with me, I was alone at home & I remember the conversation, because when I hung up, I looked around and thought 'Shit! I'm too alone in this whole thing, can anyone help me? I do not know what to do', I just cried & did not know how I can decide whether to travel to South Africa, I just do not know. I went to sleep & when I got up I called Fausto & told him 'Daijiro would like us to go, at least try' & there was a click, everyone straight away agreed & it seemed like everyone waited to just hear if we are traveling or not, that someone would make a decision. That's when the friendship really began & went far beyond the boundaries of racing with the whole team. I remember all the stages, those moments where at first I did not know what to do, to the decision to go and the next thing is that we got to South Africa, to the Welkom track. Everyone was there and I went into the garage, which was very small, it was just me and no Daijiro, no 'Another motorcycle', there is no one and then it really was 'Shit .. he really is not here anymore'. It was the confirmation of something I already knew."

Some Daijiro Kato pics from “2003 motorcycle yearbook”