Norick Abe dies in accident

TOKYO: Japanese motorcycle racer Norifumi "Norick'' Abe, whose career in racing spanned 10 years, died in a traffic accident near his home in Kawasaki on Sunday. He was 32. 

According to local police, Abe was riding his motorcycle when he collided with a truck that was making a U-turn. 

Abe made his world championship debut in 1994 as a wild card at the Japanese Grand Prix. 

The first of Abe's three wins in the world championship came in 1996 in Japan. He had a total of 17 podium finishes from his 144 grand prix appearances. 

His last race in MotoGP was in 2004 at the Valencia Grand Prix. 

Since leaving the world championship, Abe had been competing in Japan as part of the All-Japan Superbike Championship. 

According to police, the truck made an illegal U-turn from the left lane of a four-lane road in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, colliding with Abe's motorbike, which had been coming up behind in the right-hand lane. 

The police are questioning the driver of the truck on the case. – AP