Tomomi Manako

Tomomi Manako is a Japanese former professional motorcycle racer, born on 16 September 1972 in Saga Prefecture, whose name is written in Japanese as 眞子 智実. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1994 to 1999 and is notable for finishing in the top three of the 125cc world championship for three consecutive years, narrowly missing out on the title in 1998. He began racing at the relatively late age of 21 in the Kyushu and Suzuka area championships, and then competed at national level in the 125cc All-Japan Road Racing Championship.