Fujinami celebrates 20th season

Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Honda will begin his twentieth year of competing in the FIM Trial World Championship when starts his home Japanese Grand Prix tomorrow at the famous Motegi Twin Ring circuit. The now thirty five year old veteran campaigner made his GP debut in Spain 1996 and since then has contested in a total of two hundred and seventy eight Grand Prix events over the following nineteen seasons.
 
During his long career Fujinami has achieved one hundred and fifty podium finishers and thirty-two GP victories. 2004 saw the highly popular Japanese rider win the FIM Trial World Championship to fully cement his place in the history of the sport. Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s Trial Fujinami said. “It is incredible that I have stayed inside the FIM Trial World Championship for so many years. It does not feel so long since I started in 1996. I have many good memories, but the best is when I was champion in 2004. Last year was difficult because of the problem with my knee.”
 
“Again I have a lot of pressure this weekend, as it is my home race and I will have a lot of fans here who want be to ride well. My knee is only about 70% at the moment, but I will forget about this problem this weekend and will try to do my best for the Japanese people and my team. Finally I want to thank Honda for all their support over such a long period, without their support it would have not have been possible to be in the top level for so many years.”