The age of Angel Nieto was consigned to the history books, but the laurels remained in place for the now–legendary Red Bullets of Derbi. It was then that Repsol, who many years previous had collaborated in the birth of the series, decided to rejoin. The decision was made in an attempt to establish importance, prestige and market share, above all.
Returning would come on their own terms. Previous successes had been helped by Repsol, and the comeback would also involve the company’s involvement. Andreu Rabasa’s firm and the championship as a whole experienced a golden season in 1988.
Aspar steamrolled through both the 80cc and 125cc classes. He won 15 races in one year: At the ‘Expo 92’ GP in Jerez, plus the Italian, Dutch, Yugoslavian and Czechoslovakian rounds in 80cc. He defeated every rider who stood in his way, including a young Alex Criville –runner up that year. In 125cc he was even more dominant, claiming wins in Spain, Italy, Austria, Holland, Belgium, Yugoslavia, France, Sweden and Czechoslovakia.
1988 was a vintage year for Spanish motorcycle racing. The numbers don’t lie: 22 victories, 17 second places and 12 third places. 51 podium finishes in total. Three titles also went to Spanish riders, with Aspar’s 80cc/125cc double added to by the duel between Sito Pons (Honda) and Joan Garriga (Yamaha) in 250cc. Both took three wins and were separated by just ten points (231-221) in the year’s final standings. Pons, who was another Repsol stalwart, ran the livery of Campsa –a company which would later form part of the Repsol Group.
1989 would be another season to remember, as Alex Criville –backed by Repsol and JJ Cobas– won the 125cc crown. Sito Pons retained his 250cc title and Champi Herreros (Derbi) became the final 80cc World Champion.
Amidst the consion created by mechanical issues for Derbi, crashes for Italian rider Ezio Gianola and problems for Dutchman Hans Spaan, an unexpected star emerged. Criville was an improved rider and his bike, designed by Antonio Cobas, was perhaps the most complete on the grid.
Criville fought hard for the win at every Grand Prix. At times this strategy did not pay off, ending with some spectacular crashes. He would suffer some serious injuries, but none would stop him on his quest. He won five Grands Prix that year: Australia, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Czechoslovakia. These triumphs would earn him a 14 point advantage over Spaan, and the right to proclaim himself the youngest World Champion ever at the time.
Much of Criville’s success was owed to a master of design. Antonio Cobas knew every trick in the book when it came to the 125cc class. Whilst the bike was a mere customer machine, Cobas realised that chassis, gear settings and suspensions could turn it into a winning mount with the aggressive Criville onboard.
Champi Herreros clinched the 80cc title without winning any of the six races on the calendar in 1989. Repsol rider Herri Torrontegui, meanwhile, took a majestic victory in Spain and another triumph in Czechoslovakia. Many had rated his talent and hard work, but few expected Torrontegui to become a serious contender for the title until he won at Jerez and held the lead two races later.
Then came the Yugoslavian GP, with Torrontegui fighting at the front until his battery failed, incurring a disqualification when it was changed on track. The same mechanical issue occured in the Netherlands, and he dropped out of the running for the World Championship. His race win in Czechoslovakia served as scant consolation.
The season also ended in disappointing fashion for Repsol riders Carlos Cardus (fourth in 250 cc), Joan Garriga (8th), Alberto Puig (23rd) and Dani Amatriain (26th). The 1990s began some difficult times. Criville moved up from 125cc to 250cc, and Sito Pons and Joan Garriga took their battle to the 500cc class. Repsol put all their eggs in the basket of Cardus, who was in contention for the 250cc title right up until the final laps of the final race of the season. He would be denied by John Kocinski, however, and could not add the World Championship trophy to those from wins in Yugoslavia, France, Sweden and Czechoslovakia.
It was more luck than confidence that was missing for the other Repsol rider in 1990. Herri Torrontegui started badly in Japan, injuring himself in practice. The crash left him with an injury which would hinder him for the rest of the year. He was only able to take points from three Grands Prix, with his best finish a tenth place in Great Britain.
1991 was not one of Spain’s best years in the competition. Pons and Garriga were still elarning the ropes in 500cc and Wayne Rainey, MickDoohan, Kevin Schwantz, John Kocinski, Wayne Gardner and Eddie Lawson were all on top form. Garriga placed seventh overall, whilst Pons was fourteenth and struggling with an injury suffered at Jerez.
Young Italian Loris Capirossi triumphed again in 125cc and his compatriot Luca Cadalora swas crowned 250cc champion. Cardus, Repsol’s main bet for the year, was third in the series, behind Cadalora and Helmut Bradl. He placed second at eight GPs and was third on three occasions.
1992 was a year of suspicion, bad luck and doubts. Cardus was eighth overall, in a campaign in which Alessandro Gramigni (125cc), Luca Cadalora (250cc) and Wayne Rainey (500cc) were proclaimed World Champions. His collarbone, fractured in the warmup at Suzuka, was then damaged at Montmelo and broken again at Interlagos. Recently operated on in Barcelona, Cardus flew to Sydney to place second behind Cadalora at the Australian GP, then take fourth in Malaysia. With the return to Europe, Aprilia stepped up their game, Honda were left behind and Cardus had problems with the Dunlop tyres. The plate in his shoulder was bent when he fell at Montmelo in his home round, then he broke his foot in Germany and returned home to Spain. He tried to ride again in Hungary, but his fitness meant that he would sit out the race, despite taking second place in qualifying. The year to forget was ended when he was knocked off his bike in Brazil, fracturing his left collarbone again.
1992 saw a sharp turnaround in fortunes for Spain. Criville became the country’s first 500cc racewinner. He had previously been a Repsol rider and would later return to the company’s family. He won in the Netherlands, with support from the Campsa brand which had helped Pons to victory in 250cc. Kocinski and Alex Barros joined him on the podium, after a spectacular final lap.
Then came 1993 –the year in which Repsol decided to up the quantity and quality of its involvement in the World Championship. Sito Pons was the man in charge of a star–studded project, featuring Criville in 500cc and Puig in 250cc. Fellow Spaniard Luis D’Antin was also brought onboard, finishing fifteenth in a series won by Tetsuya Harada and in which Puig placed ninth.
The 500cc world title was won by Kevin Schwantz in 1993, as the Spaniards had a discreet campaign. It was a year of transition –as was 1994.
That was the year in which Puig debuted in 500cc and placed fifth in his rookie season. Neither Lopez–Mella, Julián Miralles, Juan Bautista Borja, nor Luis D’Antin, would have much success for Repsol that year.
