Vale Angel Nieto.

[wombat666]

"Spanish motorcycling legend Angel Nieto sadly passed away on August 3rd, succumbing to injuries sustained in a quad bike accident in Ibiza some days before. A true giant of the sport in Spain and on the world stage, the Champion from Zamora will be deeply missed.
Nieto was a 13-time World Champion, but due to superstition would always refer to the number as 12 + 1. Born in Castile and Leon in 1947, the Spaniard would emerge as the leading force in establishing his nation as a motorcycling world power, winning an incredible 90 Grands Prix and taking 139 podiums on his way to his 12 + 1 world titles. Over almost two decades, Nieto set his name in stone as a true great, competing in and often dominating the 50cc, 80cc and 125cc events and Championships he entered.


This dominance and brilliance over 19 years at the top established him as one of the all-time elite – alongside the likes of Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi, Mike Hailwood and Phil Read in the annals of two-wheeled history.


Six 50cc World Championships and seven on 125cc machinery also make Nieto the rider to have won the most titles with different manufacturers, as the Spaniard rode for and won on Derbi, Bultaco, Garelli, Minarelli and Kreidler machinery. He also took domestic titles in every conceivable class from 50cc up to 750cc in his native Spain, setting his legend in stone at home as well as on the world stage.


His cavalier charisma and character were a great reflection of the late 1960s and ‘70s, with his personality more than matching his achievements on track. Later Nieto was also a team manager, at the helm when Emilio Alzamora won the 125 World Championship in 1999, and became the head of a motorcycling dynasty as family members followed his path into the world of two wheels. The Nieto name remains synonymous with Spanish motorcycling and the 12 + 1 World Champion will be deeply missed; forever remaining an inspiration to his nation and to the entire MotoGP paddock."

And that says it all.

I remember his rides at the World Championship level well, mainly because the small capacity races were like a knife fight in a (very) small phone box!
He had the same personality as the much missed Barry Sheene, in a very 'Spanish' way.
He was 'A true giant of the sport' and will be missed by many of us old hands.

Czech MotoGP Brno, the Summer break is over!

[huub vink]

Sad news indeed. He was a great rider and did contribute more to motor sports than most people realise. He made Spain a motor racing nation and without Angel Nieto, nobody would have known the Marquez brother, Jorge Lorenzo, and most other Spanish riders.

He will definitely be missed.

[wombat666]

Very true Huub.

The podium at the Czech MotoGP was a great example, all Spaniards.
Most of the field in all classes appeared to have carried a '12+1' sticker as a mark of respect.
I've been looking back over his career, and I find it hard to imagine what it was like getting a 125 around the IOM circuit, let alone a 50!

Speaking of the IOM, we did our fortnight at Douglas again and the weather was really bad, aside from getting us (very) wet it caused (indirectly or directly) three deaths.
Guy Martin (one of the bravest) decided to pass up the Senior TT, a very wise decision given his lack of track time on a new bike.
Much to our annoyance, it was wet at Assen and the Sachsenring .............