Mari Igata

Mari Igata was a pioneering Japanese professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, born in Bunkyo, Tokyo, on 16 March 1958 and died on 13 August 2024. She became the first woman to race in the Suzuka 8 Hours and in the All Japan Road Race Championship. She bought a 50cc Honda Dax in high school, was hired by Honda as an administrative typist in 1975 and worked her way into the company's Blue Helmets team. She is remembered for breaking barriers for Japanese women in sport and for her Team Mari racing school, and she was the elder sister of championship racer Tomoko Igata.