Loris Capirossi has cast doubt on the findings of the Daijiro Kato Accident Investigation Committee report, which suggested rider error was to blame for the former 250cc world champion's death at Suzuka last year.
The report's findings, released last November, stated that Kato lost control of his RCV after it began oscillating (shaking from side-to-side) under braking.
The oscillation was not deemed to have been caused by a mechanical failure or inherent design fault, meaning the tragic outcome was probably the result of the Japanese pushing his machine too hard at that point on the circuit.
"I knew Kato, he was a rider of exceptional talent," Capirossi told
La Gazzetta dello Sport. "He was strong and of 'our' level. He wasn't someone who would make that type of mistake after just three laps. I think something else happened.
"It is impossible to fall there (between the 130R and chicane) – you arrive, brake, turn in – but something else happened to him that (the report) says didn't," added the Ducati rider.
Loris went on to imply that, as Kato was Honda's favourite, they should have known he wouldn't make the sort of mistake indicated in the report.
In response, HRC's Carlo Fiorani pointed out that Honda had no influence over the accident investigation and that the professors who undertook the report were of the highest calibre and had studied every piece of information available before reaching their conclusions.
The Suzuka circuit, heavily criticised by the riders for its lack of run-off, has been removed from the 2004 calendar while it undergoes safety modifications.
