From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

TETSUYA HARADA ANNOUNCES HIS REIREMENT AFTER 10 GLORIOUS YEARS

Tetsuya Harada, one of the top Japanese riders of the MotoGP World Championship, announces his retirement from competition after the GP of the Comunitat Valenciana.

Born in Chiba on June 14th 1970, Tetsuya began his career in the world championship in 1990, finishing seventh in the GP of Japan, in the 250cc class. In 1993, Tetsuya conquered his first world title. From his first world title, the Japanese rider has run 145 GP’s; 97 in the 250cc class, gaining 17 victories, and 48 in the 500cc/MotoGP class. Harada’s numbers are incredible: a total of 55 podiums of which 53 were in the 250cc class and two in the 500cc class, and 21 pole positions.

Tetsuya’s unique riding style allowed him to excel in the 250cc class both with Yamaha and Aprilia. A rider with rare qualities, Tetsuya gained respect both for his outstanding professional behaviour and for his extremely quiet, yet very warm personality. Kind, reserved and respectful, that is what makes Tetsuya a special person in and out of the paddock. Few riders have gained the respect of their “antagonists” and this has given a boost to Tetsuya’s career.

“At the end of a very difficult season,” said Tetsuya, “I took this difficult decision as I see no chance to pursue further success. During all these years, my winning determination has been my faithful companion but now, my rivals are way ahead of me and there is no reason for me to compete if I can’t stay in the front row. I want to thank everyone that has contributed to making my career unforgettable. During these ten long years of world championship racing, I really enjoyed myself: Thanks to everyone! I don’t know yet what I will do next year: for the moment I am thinking of a breathtaking holiday with my wife Miyuki. Then, together with her, we will decide what will be of our future”.

This year, Tetsuya competed with the world’s top riders with a Honda NSR500 and Pramac, an Italian team that wishes to thank this special champion for the fantastic year together.

“I began working in the world championship”–these are the words of the team manager Gianluca Montiron, that knows Tetsuya better than anyone else–“with Tetsuya, an extraordinary person, a great champion. Special characteristics that stand out even more when working together and I feel fortunate to have had the possibility of living such unforgettable moments with him. Tetsuya has an incredible talent and must be remembered as one of the most extraordinary riders in the world championship. During his career he won countless races, but he didn’t win as many times as he deserved. Now, unfortunately, he decided to retire but his accomplishments will remain in my heart as well as in the hearts of all the lovers of this incredible sport.”