It's been a while since we've looked back at a specific driver's story. Today, let's look at the career of Shinya Nakano, one of the most notable Japanese drivers of this century, who missed his date with history by a few centimetres.
His early career was quite classic. Born in 1977 in Tokyo, he followed the usual path of his greats. First in minimoto, then in the All-Japan national championship. As is often the case for these riders, the Japanese Grand Prix (traditionally held in Suzuka and opening the world championship) was the perfect opportunity to get noticed. Thus, each season, dozens of equally talented riders invaded the grids of the small categories in order to make a name for themselves. In 1998, Nakano started in 250cc, his preferred displacement..

Shinya was a pilot of exemplary kindness.
In Suzuka, the Japanese are kings; the Land of the Rising Sun achieves a quadruple in quarter-liters. The late Daijiro Kato wins, but Shinya Nakano, for his first appearance in the world championship, is second less than a second behind. For the record, the obscure Naoki Matsudo completes the podium, while Tetsuya Harada is fourth. This 1998 season is his. It was during this year that he won the national title in 250cc, giving him a place in the world for 1999.
Hervé Poncharal and the Tech3 team took him under their wing. The team was still young, but the relationship between Poncharal and Nakano went beyond the sport. Indeed, the latter admitted in 2002 that the French team manager had helped him a lot to acclimatize to Europe, and had played a key role in his development. Equipped with Yamaha YZR250s, the tandem started 1999 with a bang. Podium in Malaysia, then sensational victory in Japan, in front of his home crowd. The return to the old continent was just as impressive, with, instantly, a pole at Jerez followed by a second place at Le Mans. Now in the race for the title, Shinya remained very consistent but struggled to keep up with Honda and Aprilia. At mid-season, Valentino Rossi was comfortably leading followed by Tohru Ukawa. Nakano was behind with Loris Capirossi, without demeriting. Unfortunately for our protagonist of the day, a pole and two podiums in the second half of the season were not enough to contain the inevitable return of "Capirex", which snatches third place from him by just two points.
Despite everything, this season was very encouraging. For his first full-time year, Shinya had held the big guns. He started the 2000 season with a bang, with two victories in the first two races. His compatriots Ukawa and Kato were not far behind, while his teammate Olivier Jacque was somewhat distanced.
At Le Mans, everything changes. If Daijiro Kato wins by a whisker over Shinya, This race marks the beginning of the show Jacque Attack. Third in front of his home crowd, he did not leave the podium again until Valencia, nine races later. A blessed period punctuated by two victories, and a series of five consecutive poles. Nakano hung on. At the same time, Kato, initially the favourite a third of the way through the season, was having a bad time. The pressure mounted as the Grands Prix went by, but a denouement in the final round was inevitable. This legendary Australian joust has already been recounted in the article dedicated to Olivier Jacque, which we invite you to read by clicking on this highlighted link.
At the end of a historic race, Jacque seized the world title and became the third Frenchman to achieve this feat, after Jean-Louis Tournadre and Christian Sarron. Nakano was beaten, but his accession to MotoGP is already a done deal, still with Tech3. Once again, the Japanese comes out on top. Well ahead of Olivier Jacque – still his teammate – Nakano finishes 5th overall with a podium finish in Germany. During this season, he showed exemplary consistency which suggested great things to come..

Of course, he was the standard-bearer of Kawasaki, an unforgettable period.
But not everything went as planned. Equipped with a two-stroke YZR500 in 2001, Nakano had a lot of trouble against the new four-stroke MotoGP machines. For the French team, the switch to the YZR-M1 came only three races from the end, far too late to hope for anything. Hervé Poncharal and Shinya separated at the end of 2002, after five years of collaboration.
A year of transition at d'Antin Yamaha later, an opportunity presented itself to him: become a factory rider for Kawasaki. The challenge was huge. The Japanese manufacturer was making its big comeback in the premier class with the ZX-RR, but the first season of operation had not been glorious. Andrew Pitt and Gary McCoy had all the difficulties in the world to make it work. The start of 2004 was much better. This time fitted with Bridgestone, the Kawa' had performance, without however reaching the front positions. Despite a huge fall at Mugello in the middle of the straight (without doubt one of the most impressive in all history), Nakano comfortably dominated his teammate Alex Hofmann and even won a podium in Japan! A treat for the brand.
Only problem: it stagnates. The Bridgestones, less efficient in the race, do not help him. The fact remains that the years 2005 and 2006 are similar, and the most prestigious places are far away. Of course, Nakano is still located around tenth place but we do not imagine him playing more. Sometimes, opportunities present themselves as at Assen in 2006. Colin Edwards, in the last chicane, falls and misses his chance to win his first Grand Prix, which gives Shinya second position. Our hero of the day left Kawasaki at the end of 2006 to join the Konica Minolta Honda team, but without any more success. A signing with Gresini for 2008 did not change anything, despite an underrated year (9th with eleven top 10s, his best result since 2001).
Aprilia, back in Superbike, signed the Japanese alongside Max Biaggi but the experience turned sour. Between major injuries and lack of performance, Nakano hung up his leathers at the end of 2009, but did not leave the paddocks for all that. His character, his riding style and his helmet with atypical decoration marked an entire generation; no one will be able to take away his legacy. Without doubt, he is one of the last great Japanese champions, even without a world title.
Do you remember Nakano? Tell us in the comments!

An iconic motorcycle, inseparable from Olivier Jacque's No. 19.