Over 20 historic cars and bikes represent the past five decades of the energy company’s successful association with sport.
Repsol are celebrating their 50th anniversary in motorsport with an unprecedented exhibition on one of the most emblematic streets of Barcelona, between June 6th and 16th. Some 21 cars and motorcycles, used in their day by names such as Ángel Nieto, Marc Márquez, Pedro Martínez de la Rosa and Nani Roma, will be exhibited in almost twenty shop windows on Passeig de Gracia street in the Spanish city.
The exhibition, organised by Repsol with the Association of Passeig de Gracia, was inaugurated at the Casa Fuster Hotel, where Marc Márquez’s MotoGP bike can already be seen. The event was attended by some of the riders and drivers who have contributed to the most successful chapters of Repsol’s 50 years in competition.
Among others, in attendance was Alex Crivillé, who in 1999 became the first Spaniard to win the 500cc World Championship. He raced in the premier class as part of the Repsol Honda team that is now 25 years old. Pedro Martinez de la Rosa, who came into Formula 1 with sponsorship from Repsol; and Nani Roma, the first Spanish rider to win the Dakar in 2004 and Marc Coma, Dakar winner both in Africa and South America wearing the energy company’s colours also turned out, along with former 125cc World Champion Emilio Alzamora, who continues to collaborate in projects such as the Repsol Monlau Technical School -where riders, mechanics and engineers of the future are trained- Salvador Canyellas, Salvador Servia, Juan Porcar, Carlos Cardus, Luis Perez Sala, Jaime Alguersuari Sr. and Jaime Alguersuari Jr.
Vehicles on display include the Derbi with which Ángel Nieto won the 1971 title, the Arrows A20 that Pedro Martinez de la Rosa used in 1999, Sito Pons’ Honda NSR used to win his second 250cc World Championship in 1989, and many more.
The cars and motorcycles will be exhibited mostly in shop windows, hotels and restaurants. Participating are fashion stores Benetton, Santa Eulàlia, Muji, North Face and Replay, perfumery Regia jewellers Rabat and Unode50, and the Eichholtz furniture store, as well as Nubar restaurant and hotels Majestic, Casa Fuster, Alexandra, Royal, Gallery, Alma and The One.
Motorsport fans will be able to participate in a raffle to win two tickets to attend the Catalan Grand Prix, which will take place in nearby Montmeló on June 14th-16th. To enter, all they have to do is take a photo at one of the shops where Repsol vehicles are displayed, and upload it to either Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag: #Repsol50Aniversario.
The aim of the exhibition is to celebrate five decades of success that began in 1969 and continues to this day, with current talents such as Marc Márquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Toni Bou, among others.
Bárbara Bertrand, Repsol Head of Sponsorship
“We did not want to be just a simple sponsor, and today we are a fundamental part in the development of the teams in which we have a presence. Our relationship with motorsport is, above all, based on the development of our competition products thanks to our Repsol Tech Lab research centre. Competition is the best place in which to test and develop our products. We are convinced that Repsol would not be what we are today without the world of motorsport, and likewise we like to think that the world of motorsport would not be what it is today without Repsol.”
Luis Sans, President of the Passeig de Gracia Association
“We thank Repsol for thinking of Passeig de Gracia for such an incredible exhibition, with motorcycles and cars that have made history in motorsport competition. In addition, many of the riders who have used these vehicles are closely linked to the history of motorcycle racing.”
