Kazuto Sakata

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Kazuto Sakata
Nationality	Japanese
Grand Prix motorcycle racing career
Active years	1991 - 1999
Teams	Honda, Aprilia
Grands Prix	126
Championships	125cc - 1994, 1998
Wins	11
Podium finishes	41
Career points	687
Pole positions	29
Fastest laps	19
First Grand Prix	1991 125cc Japanese Grand Prix
First win	1993 125cc Spanish Grand Prix
Last win	1998 125cc British Grand Prix
Last Grand Prix	1999 125cc Argentine Grand Prix

Kazuto Sakata (坂田 和人, Kazuto Sakata^? born August 15, 1966 in Kōtō, Tokyo) is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was a two-time F.I.M. 125cc world champion.

Sakata began his Grand Prix career in 1991 and by the 1993 season, finished second to Dirk Raudies in the 125cc class on a Honda. In 1994, he became the first Japanese rider to race for a European factory when he signed with the Aprilia factory. He repaid them by winning the 125cc championship that year. He repeated as champion in 1998 after a tight points battle with Tomomi Manako and Marco Melandri. He retired after the 1999 season.

v • d • e 125 cc Motorcycle World Champions     1949 - N. Pagani 1950 - B. Ruffo 1951 - C. Ubbiali 1952 - C. Sandford 1953 - W. Haas 1954 - R. Hollaus 1955 - C. Ubbiali 1956 - C. Ubbiali 1957 - T. Provini 1958 - C. Ubbiali 1959 - C. Ubbiali 1960 - C. Ubbiali 1961 - T. Phillis 1962 - L. Taveri 1963 - H. Anderson 1964 - L. Taveri 1965 - H. Anderson 1966 - L. Taveri 1967 - B. Ivy 1968 - P. Read 1969 - D. Simmonds 1970 - D. Braun 1971 - Á. Nieto 1972 - Á. Nieto 1973 - K. Andersson 1974 - K. Andersson 1975 - P. Pileri 1976 - P. Bianchi 1977 - P. Bianchi 1978 - E. Lazzarini 1979 - Á. Nieto 1980 - P. Bianchi 1981 - Á. Nieto 1982 - Á. Nieto 1983 - Á. Nieto 1984 - Á. Nieto 1985 - F. Gresini 1986 - L. Cadalora 1987 - F. Gresini 1988 - J. Martínez 1989 - À. Crivillé 1990 - L. Capirossi 1991 - L. Capirossi 1992 - A. Gramigni 1993 - D. Raudies 1994 - K. Sakata 1995 - H. Aoki 1996 - H. Aoki 1997 - V. Rossi 1998 - K. Sakata 1999 - E. Alzamora 2000 - R. Locatelli 2001 - M. Poggiali 2002 - A. Vincent 2003 - D. Pedrosa 2004 - A. Dovizioso 2005 - T. Lüthi 2006 - Á. Bautista 2007 - G. Talmácsi