25 years since the triumph of Alex Crivillé, the ‘noi’ who turned MotoGP into a possible dream | Motorcycling | Sports

25 years ago today, Spanish motorcycling celebrated its first world champion in the premier category. Alex Crivillé Tapias (Seva, Barcelona; 54 years old) was cheered then and continues to be cheered now, as in the lap of honor he performed with his beautiful museum Honda just a few months ago at the Aragon GP. “Before traveling to Motorland, I asked my daughter to return a medal that I wore during the races and I had given her when I retired. It was amazing getting on the motorcycle. Intuitively, those gestures came out on the Honda, all those unique sensations came back,” he recalls in conversation with EL PAÍS. The Catalan pioneer wasn’t even sure if his two-stroke Honda NSR500 was going to start, but he asked his good friend and mechanic Javier Ullate to give it a good once-over.

That sleeping beauty had been standing in the small sanctuary that ‘Crivi’ has at home for more than two decades, but after disassembling it from top to bottom and cleaning it, it started right away. Tears almost came to their eyes. Even more so after those two laps full of symbolism on the Aragonese track. As in the disappeared Jacarepaguá circuit, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro and demolished to host the 2016 Olympic Games, he crossed the finish line doing a wheelie, emulating the celebration of that 500cc title in the 1999 Brazilian GP .

“I have many memories, but the first thing that comes to mind is my father. He couldn’t be with us, he died a year before. Everyone was there, my wife, my brothers, part of the family and friends. It was a very desired title, we had cooked it over low heat and there was so little left…”, he recalls. A fractured wrist a couple of grand prix before the alirón greatly complicated the achievement of the championship. “I was injured, and when I finished the year they had to operate on me. The pain was very present and I felt that pressure of not being able to fail, of not being able to fall. I knew that a sixth was enough for me, and crossing the finish line was a liberation.” Another injury, that of five-time champion Mick Doohan in Jerez, first his mentor and then his great enemy, also paved the way that year.

He noi de Seva, without losing focus after hearing the news of the Australian’s possible retirement after the third round of the competition, completed the path that Ángel Nieto, Sito Pons and company began in the small displacements. All of them were present at a mythological evening at this point, with barbecue, swimming pools and even a sofa falling from the eleventh floor of the Hilton during the celebration: “The best of each house were there, and think that at that time there were more than seven million spectators following the race on open television.” The title not only changed Crivillé’s life, but also an entire generation of fans and athletes.

“That success allowed the following generations of drivers to enter with less fear, more confidence and better opportunities, with tools to be able to fight for the title,” says Carlos Checa, present in Brazil and rival of the new world champion. “It certainly changed the dynamic. From then on, the Americans and Australians took a backseat, with dominance passing to the Italians and the Spanish.” Jorge Lorenzo, who was the next Spanish champion, took more than a decade to inherit the scepter. The Mallorcan, who was 12 years old and glued himself to the television to follow the event, remembers the impact of that title: “Alex marked the path for those who would come after, who was going to tell me that I would be next.”

Starting in 2010, Spanish drivers amassed 10 of the 14 championships held: the three by Lorenzo, the six by Marc Márquez and the last for now, in 2020, by Joan Mir. The fifth could arrive this year, if Jorge Martín manages to finish the job. “You have to highly value what Jorge is doing, he is winning the title hard, and I hope he can join the list,” says Crivillé. The 2024 championship has three rounds left until the Thai GP, where the Madrid native has a margin of 20 points at the top of the table, ahead of the current champion Pecco Bagnaia.

“There was a time when it seemed impossible to win, not to mention win the title. We had Pons, Nieto, Aspar, Garriga… Spain was always a country of small motorcycles, but a lot of work was done. Alex, for me one of the bravest drivers, achieved a privileged position at Honda and knew how to take advantage of it, which is not easy at all. He was always a very loved person in the paddockand we are all very happy for him,” Checa concludes. “It’s like that, all my life I have felt very well considered and loved, even before getting the title,” thanks Crivillé, who had to retire in 2002 due to health problems. Today, another October 24, 25 years have passed since that title that broke down the last barrier. They still stop him on the street. There are figures that are never forgotten.