Noboru Ueda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nationality | Japanese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Noboru "Nobby" Ueda (上田昇, born July 23, 1967 in Tahara, Aichi) is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer.[1] He was exclusively a 125 class rider. Ueda began his Grand Prix career with a win in his inaugural race at the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix. His best seasons were in 1994, when he finished second in the 125cc world championship behind Kazuto Sakata and in 1997, when he finished second behind Valentino Rossi.[1]
In 1998, Nobuatsu (Noboru) Ueda fell off his bike, breaking his arm and receiving nerve damage that nearly paralyzed his right hand.[2] This injury led to him wearing the first mechanised glove (produced by Spidi) that gave him the ability to grip the throttle and brake levers.[3]
After a twelve-year career in Grand Prix competition, he announced his retirement at the end of the 2002 season, citing the need to let his body recuperate after several racing injuries.[4] Ueda won 13 Grand Prix races during his career. He now runs his own team known as Team Nobby, which competes in the All Japan Road Race Championship in the J-GP3 class.[1]