2001
The 2001 season started out promising with Azuma winning two of the first three races. (By winning the first race of the new season and the last race of the previous season Azuma was to set a 125 class record that would not be repeated again until 2007 when Hector Faubel won the last race of 2006 and the first race of 2007.) However, an inconsistent season was to follow and Azuma never managed to make it onto the podium during the rest of the season. He finished 5th in the Championship almost 100 pts adrift of eventual Champion Manuel Poggiali.
Read more about this topic: Masao Azuma