Victor Steeman’s death has naturally shaken the two-wheeled world, once again forced to honour the memory of a ‘team-mate’ who has been taken too soon. A pain that is not easy to manage or express, especially for those who shared the garage with Victor. Steeman’s MTM team-mate Yuta Okaya is well aware of this and has chosen to remember the Dutch rider on his Instagram profile, talking about the Portimao weekend and the 2022 season in general.

The Japanese rider’s own weekend had in fact already come to an end on Friday, after he crashed in FP2 and suffered thoracic contusions and a fractured left collarbone and scapula. Considering the extent of his team-mate’s injuries, Steeman had wanted to show his support for Yuta via WhatsApp and also with a board on the race 1 starting grid, a race that would ultimately prove to be his last.

Okaya’s words

Okaya writes: “You said to me 'you ride with me this weekend. Hope you feel better soon' after my injury on Saturday morning. In that moment I was more than delighted. And you came every morning in race week a little bit late, but you went to the interview as a fastest man on Friday almost every week. And you took a lot of pole positions and victories. I’m so, so proud that I got a podium with you in Misano, and that we dominated and shared 1st trophies in Barcelona. It is still unacceptable. You are best friend, best team mate, and best rival for me. You ride with me from now on. I can’t imagine his family’s and his friends’ hearts. Send all my condolences to them.”

A message as heartrending as it is deep, which once again reminds us just how motorcycling can bring both joy and pain, uniting and separating us.

Traslated by Heather Watson