In evaluating ORBITRON, name recognition is not the only important factor. What matters is where someone who has been discerning subtle changes in vehicles over many years focuses their attention and how they articulate those observations.
This time, we introduce an ORBITRON evaluation video by Shinichi Nakatomi, who is the All Japan Road Race Championship 250cc class champion and has accumulated extensive experience in the Road Race World Championship, Superbike World Championship, Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race, and Asia Road Racing Championship.
The comments in the video are Mr. Nakatomi's actual riding impressions. This article will organize Mr. Nakatomi's racing history, the background of his evaluation, and points to focus on when watching the video, without confusing his impressions with performance guarantees.
Who is Shinichi Nakatomi?
Shinichi Nakatomi, born October 30, 1978, in Fukuoka Prefecture, is a racing rider. In addition to domestic championships, he has broad experience including wild card entries in the World GP 250cc, the Superbike World Championship, endurance races, the Asia Road Racing Championship, and tire development. He continues to actively compete in the premier JSB1000 class of the All Japan Road Race Championship.
| Period/Event | Main Achievements/Activities |
|---|---|
| 2000 | All Japan Road Race Championship 250cc Class Champion |
| 2000-2002 World GP 250cc | Wild card entries in the Road Race World Championship 250cc class, including the Japan GP. 9th place in the 2000 Japan GP. |
| 2003 Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race | 2nd overall, JSB class winner |
| 2006-2007 Superbike World Championship | Annual ranking: 17th in 2006, 15th in 2007. 9th place in both Race 1 and Race 2 at the 2007 Vallelunga event. |
| 2013 Asia Road Racing Championship | Won both Race 1 and Race 2 in the SuperSports 600cc class at the Suzuka round. |
| June 30, 2019 | Won Race 2 of the ASB1000 class at Round 4 of the Asia Road Racing Championship in Japan. First Japanese rider to win in this class. |
| Recent years | Continues to compete in the All Japan Road Race Championship JSB1000 class and engage in tire development. |
His achievements, including 2nd overall and JSB class winner at the 2003 Suzuka 8 Hours, a double win in SuperSports 600cc at the 2013 ARRC Suzuka, and victory in ASB1000 at the 2019 ARRC Suzuka, are not isolated good results but rather a cumulative record across different vehicles, tires, and race conditions. This breadth of experience forms the background for interpreting the terms used in his actual riding evaluations.
In 2019, he became the first Japanese ASB1000 winner at Suzuka
On June 30, 2019, at Race 2 of Round 4 of the Asia Road Racing Championship at Suzuka Circuit, under challenging wet conditions with a drying track, Nakatomi took the lead on lap 3, regained it on lap 6, and held on to win.
This was Nakatomi's first ASB1000 class victory and the first for a Japanese rider in the class. It wasn't just about his participation history. It was an achievement where he accurately read the constantly changing track conditions, understood the tire status, and meticulously constructed his race strategy to secure the win. This is an indispensable part of his racing record when considering Nakatomi's experience in evaluating subtle changes in vehicles and tires.
Official Record: Shinichi Nakatomi achieves first ASB1000 victory｜SUPERBIKE.JP
Records used to verify racing history
- 2019 ARRC Suzuka ASB1000 RACE 2 Victory｜SUPERBIKE.JP
- All Japan Road Race Championship Official Records｜2000 GP250 Champion
- Suzuka Circuit Official Records｜2003 Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race
- Honda Asia Road Racing Championship Records｜2013 Suzuka
- WorldSBK Official Records｜2006, 2007, and Vallelunga event
- MotoGP Official Records｜2000-2002 GP250cc
For records where direct result pages by event were confirmed, direct links are provided. For records where the URLs of old result pages are not maintained within the official site, the official entry points for the organizer/championship records are indicated.
Why Shinichi Nakatomi's Evaluation Is Important
Racing riders don't just ride fast. They process a wealth of information in a short time: accelerator response at the moment of opening, engine revolution linearity, chassis behavior on corner entry, tire grip sensation, and the reproducibility of consistent operations.
Furthermore, Mr. Nakatomi has been involved in long-term tire development in addition to domestic and international races. The experience of distinguishing what changed and what didn't before and after modifying parts or settings is highly significant in evaluating products under development.
However, even an experienced rider's observations alone do not prove the product's mechanism of action or universal performance. The value lies in the fact that a skilled evaluator can specifically observe the presence or absence and quality of changes, providing information that leads to the next comparative test.
Points to Check in the Video
When watching the video, pay attention not only to the "good" or "bad" conclusions, but also to what parts of the vehicle Mr. Nakatomi is observing.
- Engine response to accelerator input
- Smoothness and linearity of engine revolutions
- Relationship between chassis movement and rider input
- Criteria used for comparison before and after installation
- How changes are described
ORBITRON's development process considers not only numerical data but also the operational response felt by the driver and the overall coherence of the vehicle. Mr. Nakatomi's evaluation is positioned as a record of these observations from an expert's perspective.
NEXT SCIENCE and Shinichi Nakatomi
The relationship between NEXT SCIENCE and Mr. Nakatomi began at the 2015 All Japan Road Race Championship JSB1000 Autopolis event. Since then, we have continued to verify vehicle conditions and product usage observations through practical competition and development.
In the past, ORBITRON products bearing Mr. Nakatomi's name were also developed. While these are now categorized as old products, the evaluations and feedback accumulated during that process are important records that connect to current product development.
Mr. Nakatomi's ongoing involvement in practical tire development is detailed in the following article:
Read Driving Impressions and Verification Results Separately
This video is a valuable record of an experienced rider's on-track evaluation. However, it is not a performance guarantee test equipped with control groups, blind conditions, or repeated measurements under identical conditions.
Evaluations and perceptions may vary depending on vehicle specifications, maintenance status, installation conditions, road surface, temperature, tires, and riding style. Therefore, the observations in the video should be taken as "Mr. Nakatomi's evaluation as felt under the specified conditions," and should not be extended to imply that the same changes will necessarily occur in other vehicles.
NEXT SCIENCE does not dismiss subjective sensations as an entry point, but rather emphasizes connecting the hypotheses derived from them to comparison, measurement, and repetition. Not intuition, but conviction. Not impetus, but verification. With this attitude, we accumulate development records.
Learn More About ORBITRON
- What is ORBITRON? | Philosophy, Selection, Product Lineup
- Research & Development | Philosophy on Testing, Research, and Development
- How Vehicle Quality is Evaluated and Linked to Development
- How to Choose ORBITRON ZF/ZF-R Series
- Vehicle Grounding and the ORBITRON Concept
- View Current ORBITRON Products
Summary
Shinichi Nakatomi is a rider with extensive experience, including being the 2000 All Japan GP250 champion, 2nd overall and JSB class winner at the 2003 Suzuka 8 Hours, wild card entries in World GP250cc, the Superbike World Championship, a double win in ARRC Suzuka SS600 in 2013, victory in ARRC Suzuka ASB1000 in 2019, JSB1000, and tire development. His career provides the background for his perspective on evaluating even minor vehicle changes.
However, the evaluation by a renowned rider is separate from the scientific proof of product efficacy. This article and video are published as documentation that accurately records Mr. Nakatomi's driving impressions and serves as material for further verification.