The OFFICAL Ukyo Katayama Tribute Thread

Minardi fan · 28 Dec 2001, 14:43 (Ref:190415)

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to present THIS, the offical Ukyo Katayama tribute thread - devoted to F1's greatest. So please leave your thoughts and musings and pictures of F1's most diminutive star.

LucaBadoer · 28 Dec 2001, 14:51 (Ref:190423)

This picture that I have attached of the kat is one which I think we should all think of whenever Ukyo's name is mentioned.

Three cheers for Ukyo!

Invincible · 28 Dec 2001, 17:31 (Ref:190486)

"Ukyo Katayama is undoubtedly the best driver F1 has ever produced" (Murray)

LucaBadoer · 28 Dec 2001, 19:30 (Ref:190531)

Quote:

Originally posted by Invincible
"Ukyo Katayama is undoubtedly the best driver F1 has ever produced" (Murray)

When did Murray say that???

Number Juan · 28 Dec 2001, 19:54 (Ref:190541)

has he died or something?! and if he has, how? if he hasnt, has he retired?

Minardi fan · 28 Dec 2001, 20:12 (Ref:190548)

No he hasn't died!!! I decided that in light of his recent achievement climbing Everest that F1's greatest deserved a thread all to himself.

P.S Would some kindly Mod/Admin please correct the spelling mistake in this thread's title... Ta!

Tom Fuller · 28 Dec 2001, 20:21 (Ref:190558)

I don't really understand this thread.

I can't really say anything because I've only ever seen him in the Tyrell and the Minardi. Not so good for them!

Minardi fan · 28 Dec 2001, 20:31 (Ref:190566)

See below... (double post...)

Minardi fan · 28 Dec 2001, 20:31 (Ref:190567)

Tom my man, let me try and explain why there's quite a lotta love for the little guy here...

Whatever he drove in, however his race was going, Ukyo NEVER gave up. He always went for it, giving it 150%. He always had a smile on his face no matter how it went, even though he never got the drive he so deserved. 5 points isn't much of a points tally for the time he was in F1, but to his fans it doesn't matter - because he gave us so much more to remember him by. The Kat is a legend, and he's my hero, and he'll ALWAYS be my number one driver.

Tom Fuller · 28 Dec 2001, 20:48 (Ref:190576)

Quote:

Originally posted by Minardi fan
Tom my man, let me try and explain why there's quite a lotta love for the little guy here...

Whatever he drove in, however his race was going, Ukyo NEVER gave up. He always went for it, giving it 150%. He always had a smile on his face no matter how it went, even though he never got the drive he so deserved. 5 points isn't much of a points tally for the time he was in F1, but to his fans it doesn't matter - because he gave us so much more to remember him by. The Kat is a legend, and he's my hero, and he'll ALWAYS be my number one driver.

I bet you'd never be saying that if he hadn't driven for Minardi?

What about Fernando Alonso?

Minardi fan · 29 Dec 2001, 00:31 (Ref:190765)

Quote:

Originally posted by Tom Fuller

I bet you'd never be saying that if he hadn't driven for Minardi?

Actually, when I first started watching F1 in 1996 I was a massive Katayama and Salo fan, and hence Tyrrell were 'my' team. At that time Minardi were just one of the other teams I supported after Tyrrell, rather like I support Arrows (Go Heinz!) and Sauber now.

Therefore it was Katayama who made me love Minardi, not the other way round.

As for Alonso, as great as he is, he will never displace Katayama.

badoer fan · 29 Dec 2001, 09:40 (Ref:190839)

The same as Luca got me into suppoting Minardi (in 1999), although I kinda liked them before. But Alono's far better than the Kat ever was (and far better looking too

)

29 Dec 2001, 11:31 (Ref:190889)

Quote:

Originally posted by Invincible
"Ukyo Katayama is undoubtedly the best driver F1 has ever produced" (Murray)

If I recall correctly Murray said this during Saturday practise for the 1994 Australian GP. M. Schumacher was on screen and Muzza was going on about him, suddenly the picture changed to the Kat. I can't remember what the exact words were but it was something like "Michael Schumacher..and here's Ukyo Katayama, undoubtedly one of the best drivers F1 has ever produced" Murray was obviously talking about Michael.

Nicholas · 29 Dec 2001, 12:43 (Ref:190959)

So where is the Kat now?

marcus · 29 Dec 2001, 13:20 (Ref:190997)

well where can I start.

Ukyo Katayama to me was everything I wanted Formula One to be. He never gave up , he was always smiling and just loved to be there even though he was not the most successfull driver out there.

at present Ukyo is recouperating from his fantastic effort of climbing mount everest which was his lifetime ambition.

I became a fan of his in his first year in F1 with Larrouse in 1992 after his fantastic drive in Canada that almost netted him 5th place before his Lamborghini engine cried enough.

Ok so he only managed 5 points in his career but it was more than results that drew me to him ..it was just something about him ..I honestly still dont know what ...but he just seemed so determined that I couldnt help but support him.

Ive never met the guy ..and maybe someday i will ..and if I do you can be assured that he will know how much his career has meant to my following of motorsport.

marcus · 29 Dec 2001, 13:32 (Ref:191007)

I guess I should add a pic as well

from www.forix.com

Minardi fan · 29 Dec 2001, 13:46 (Ref:191013)

Cheers Marcus!

LucaBadoer · 29 Dec 2001, 14:10 (Ref:191022)

Name the GP:

Ukyo: "All told, I had a very unlucky week-end. Although I was last on the grid I had an excellent start today and managed to overtake quite a few cars. It was just impossible to avoid the accident caused by the two Jordans."

marcus · 29 Dec 2001, 14:36 (Ref:191034)

hmmmm...I remember Ukyo and the two Jordans of Irvine and Barichello getting tangled together at hungary in 94 ???

but im sure Ukyo wasnt last ...may have to investigate this a tad more !!!!!

LucaBadoer · 29 Dec 2001, 14:53 (Ref:191044)

Quote:

Originally posted by marcus
hmmmm...I remember Ukyo and the two Jordans of Irvine and Barichello getting tangled together at hungary in 94 ???

Nope...

Old Hairpin · 29 Dec 2001, 14:59 (Ref:191048)

The title made me think he was dead!
he was quite a funny dude, i remember Berger and Alesi taking the p*** out of him jokingly on some program or other, must be one hard b****** to be able to climb Everest...

BootsOntheSide · 29 Dec 2001, 15:32 (Ref:191070)

Ukyo is probably the most consistantly underrated drivers. His 1994 season included a few superhuman performances (5th on the grid in successive races at Hockenheim and Hungaroring, vastly different circuits), and apparently he was offered a drive as Benetton #2 for 1995, but as he was undergoing treatment for cancer at the time, he couldn't accept. How different things could have been.

MGF · 29 Dec 2001, 16:31 (Ref:191079)

About time someone gave this little guy the credit he deserves!!

What's he doing these days apart from swanning around mountains ala Maria von Trapp?

ljakse · 29 Dec 2001, 17:06 (Ref:191087)

Quote:

Originally posted by Minardi fan
Tom my man, let me try and explain why there's quite a lotta love for the little guy here...

Whatever he drove in, however his race was going, Ukyo NEVER gave up. He always went for it, giving it 150%. He always had a smile on his face no matter how it went, even though he never got the drive he so deserved. 5 points isn't much of a points tally for the time he was in F1, but to his fans it doesn't matter - because he gave us so much more to remember him by. The Kat is a legend, and he's my hero, and he'll ALWAYS be my number one driver.

And further on, as far as I remember he is the only one ever to addmit accident was his fault, with a smile on his face.
At some point I was beggining to think that there was something wrong with my idea of F1 when I started to like him, but then, I once went to a large caffe were people come to watch sport events, to see a F1 race (can't remember what race that was). First time that Ukyo was shown on screen, whole crowd started cheering and screaming his name. I don't think any of today's drivers has that kind of support indispite his (under)achievements.

LucaBadoer · 29 Dec 2001, 18:03 (Ref:191102)

Quote:

Originally posted by ljakse

Poor Luca was involved in that crash at Estoril in '95 - he's the one sideways across the track...

Poor Luca...

It was a pretty awful crash though - wasn't it...

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