Friday, 03 September 2010 14:25 by Luca Bologna

Thursday night, September 2nd, saw the annual event to honor Daijiro Kato, the Team Gresini tragically killed in a 2003 accident at Suzuka.

On stage were many of the protagonists for the GP of San Marino, including Melandri, Capirossi, Pasini, Simoncelli, Dovizioso, Claudio Costa, Carlo Pernat and Marco Lucchinelli.

Making something of a surprise visit was Valentino Rossi, who arrival proved very exciting for the crown in attendance. Rossi was interviewed by Italian TV host Franco Bobbiese, and the rider joked about his crashes at Indianapolis, recounted some of the crazy things he did as a kid in Tavullia, and confirmed that he wants to do well at Misano for all his fans.

A final comment was reserved for Kevin Schwantz, who also made an appearance at the DediKato event: "When I was young I had posters of Kevin on the Pepsi Suzuki.  Watching him helped foster my passion for racing. He was my idol!"

Below is the video of Rossi at DediKato.

FOTO by ANDREA RANALLI