There was a demon in the pitboard area. As he bellowed commands at his riders, even other teams were afraid. Who had invited this Green Devil anyway…? Clad in his trademark Lime Green trainers and white hunting cap, Toshio Hirai (in charge of Kawasaki Motorcycle Co. Ltd.'s Riding Safety Section at the time), team manager and founder of Japan's Team Green, used his intense personality to motivate his young motocross team.

Now 76 years old, Toshio Hirai's feelings toward racing show no signs of diminishing.
"If I cut myself, I'd bleed green." That's how much this man loves Kawasaki.

In the 70s Hirai had lined up with Yoshifumi Sugio, Masaharu Takezawa and the like to compete in the All-Japan Motocross championship. In 1976, Takezawa took the Senior (International A-class) 250 championship, the beginning of Kawasaki's rise in power.
"When Pete (Toshio Tsutsumi / KMC Technical Service Dept. Manager at the time), who was making a success of Team Green in America, suggested I start something similar in Japan, it was the impetus for me to form an organisation that would foster young motocross talent. But to form a team separate from Team Kawasaki (run by Kawasaki Heavy Industries as part of their factory racing activities), and owned by Kawasaki Motorcycle Co. Ltd. (now KMJ – Kawasaki Motors Japan), I needed to be able to justify it. So I put together a proposal that appealed benefits including positive publicity, marketing and sales promotion, rider training, technical innovation, customer satisfaction and increased morale. And I was given the go-ahead to form Team Green."
While Hirai felt a little guilty that this "justification" would also enable him to once again be connected with his beloved racing, the goals listed in his proposal were more than just words. Thanks to the activities of Team Green in the All-Japan Motocross championship, Kawasaki's brand image was raised, sales of KX Series models increased, a deeper pool of rider talent was formed, racing data provided valuable feedback for model development and the spirits of Kawasaki fans and staff were raised considerably.

"The first year was hard. I'd load Tadashi Nakafukasako, Yoshihiro Sugawara, Terukazu Okayama and six bikes into a 2-ton truck and head out, but we had trouble getting past qualifying. I realised that we needed to strengthen our talent pool and had our dealer network put out a nationwide call for riders. For 10 days over the summer holidays and seven days over the winter break we gathered 20-30 riders for training camps in Akashi. We were looking for riders with potential. Riders were required to bring their school report cards. Poor students would never become fast riders. That was a personal conviction, but I haven't been proven wrong yet."
Through these intensive training or "selection" camps Team Green unearthed young talent and then helped the riders reach their full potential.
"We started getting good results from the second year. I still remember the Shikoku All-Japan Round of '83 like it was yesterday. Shinichi Zusho, whose Novice (National B-class) license was obtained just prior to the race, went out and got a spectacular debut win in 125. And a strong performance by Nanpei Suzuki gave us a 1-2 finish… Watching the two KX's dice back and forth, and come flying over the hill was a moving experience. That race marked the start of a string of wins. Team Green became the team to watch. Every time we won, the magazines picked it up. The articles were great PR for Kawasaki, and great motivation for everyone on the team. This positive cycle carried over to the next season: Zusho became the Junior (National A-class) 250 champion and Sugawara was crowned the International B-class 125 champion."

An article in Riding Sport magazine (Aug 1985 ed.): the activities of Team Green, spearheaded by Hirai, were picked up every issue.

Like in America, Team Green slotted in nicely between the manufacturer-run factory team and dealer-run club teams. But Japan being a different country with a different culture meant that rider education had its own unique style.
"I was often asked what our secret was; in a word: practice, practice, practice. We had riders who lived in the dorms in Akashi, and others who prioritised school and stayed at home. But when they came to Akashi, they were all pupils at the Hirai Dojo. I worked them hard, but it was just a kind of tough love. They woke up at five and went running. Then after breakfast we moved to the course in Aonogahara, Kasai for practice. From about eight in the morning until four in the afternoon, they were on the bikes. For novices and juniors heat races ran about 30-40 minutes. I had them doing four heats a day… That practice was also a good endurance test for the bikes, so we were killing two birds with one stone. After riding that much, their butts were so sore they couldn't sit down, so they all naturally started riding half-standing. ‘Here we go,' I'd always chuckle to myself."

One of Team Green's objectives was to foster young motocross talent. The team was comprised of two Novice riders, two Juniors and two International B-class riders. Every year rookies would replace the Novices and the International B-class riders would step up to the A-class."

In 1992, Kawasaki dominated all classes of International A-class and B-class racing. (Shown from left: Eddie Warren, Okitsugu Ukegawa, Toshiaki Tazawa, Yuusuke Sasaki)
Aside from Warren, all riders were Team Green members. Tazawa went on to become Team Green team manager.

"I think having two riders in each class was a good idea. Having a rival gave them someone to compete with, and they would push each other to improve. To give you an example, Tomoyuki Naganuma and Shigeki Hanada were classmates. In '85 Naganuma was the Junior 125 champion and Hanada was the Junior 250 champion. In '86 Hanada was the International B-class double champion, but Naganuma had made him work for it. As team manager, my only instruction was to keep some space between them to avoid colliding. They had opposite personalities. All Naganuma needed to excel was a little coaxing, where Hanada was the type that needed a scolding to get him fired up. They both went on to factory rides. It was my job to put them on the right track, and kick them out of the nest, so to speak. I had the chance to work with many champions after them as well, and I was fond of them all. But I think my favorite was Nakafukasako from Team Green's first year. Back then we struggled, but the joy of making qualifying and winning for the first time is a feeling that sticks with you – and that was during Nakafukasako's time."
At first, finding young talent and sending them on to the factory team was Team Green's primary mission. But after Hirai moved on, the team's mission evolved. In recent years, Team Green has played the role of top International A-class IA2 team, with Tomonori Nakamura taking the championship in 2004 and Hiroaki Arai repeating the feat in 2007.
"To be the best in Japan. And then the best in the world… that was my dream as team manager. Even after I retired from Kawasaki, that hasn't changed."
Even now there is a gentle light in the eyes of the demon who saw the joys and sorrows of Team Green's successes and struggles.