Ángel Nieto

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Ángel Nieto

Nationality	Spain

Grand Prix motorcycle racing career
Active years	1964 - 1986
Teams	Derbi, Morbidelli, Kreidler, Bultaco, Minarelli, Garelli
Grands Prix	186
Championships	50 cc - 1969, 1970, 1972, 1975-1977 125 cc- 1971, 1972, 1979, 1981-1984
Wins	90
Podium finishes	139
Career points	1782
Pole positions	34
Fastest laps	39
First Grand Prix	1964 50 cc Spanish Grand Prix
First win	1969 50 cc German Grand Prix
Last win	1985 80 cc French Grand Prix
Last Grand Prix	1986 80 cc Baden-Württemberg Grand Prix

Ángel Nieto (born Ángel Nieto Roldán on January 25, 1947 in Zamora, Spain) was a multi-time Grand Prix motorcycle roadracing World Champion. He is considered a national hero in his Spanish homeland.

He specialized in racing small displacement bikes such as in the 50 cc, 80 cc and 125 cc classes but many fellow racers, including former world champion Barry Sheene consider him among the greatest motorcycle racers of all time.

Though he was never successful at the world level racing in the larger displacements, he won Spanish National Championships in the 50 cc, 125 cc, 250 cc, 500 cc and 750 cc classes. He retired in 1986 at the age of 39 with a total of 90 Grand Prix victories and 13 World Championships (although Nieto, a very superstitious man, insists on saying he won "12+1"). His total of 90 Grand Prix victories is second only to the 122 by Giacomo Agostini, and was equalled by Valentino Rossi in 2008. (At the French Moto GP at the Le Mans Circuit on Sunday 18th May 2008.)

Later he operated a Grand Prix motorcycle racing team with his son, Ángel Nieto Jr. and Emilio Alzamora, who won the 125 cc title, as riders. He now commentates GP races for Spanish TV. His nephew Fonsi Nieto is also a racer, in World Superbikes in 2006. There is an Ángel Nieto museum in Madrid that displays some of his trophies and racing memorabilia. The FIM named him a Grand Prix "Legend" in 2000.

1 Motorcycle Grand Prix results
2 Honours
3 External links
4 References

[edit] Motorcycle Grand Prix results

Year	Class	Classification	Machine	Victories
1964	50 cc	10th	Derbi	0
1966	50 cc	9th	Derbi	0
1967	50 cc	4th	Derbi	0
1968	50 cc	4th	Derbi	0
1969	50 cc	1st	Derbi	2
1970	50 cc	1st	Derbi	5
1970	125 cc	2nd	Derbi	4
1971	50 cc	2nd	Derbi	3
1971	125 cc	1st	Derbi	5
1972	50 cc	1st	Derbi	3
1972	125 cc	1st	Derbi	5
1973	125 cc	7th	Morbidelli	0
1974	125 cc	4th	Derbi	2
1975	50 cc	1st	Kreidler	6
1976	50 cc	1st	Bultaco	5
1976	125 cc	2nd	Bultaco	1
1977	50 cc	1st	Bultaco	3
1977	125 cc	3rd	Bultaco	3
1978	125 cc	2nd	Minarelli	4
1979	125 cc	1st	Minarelli	8
1980	125 cc	3rd	Minarelli	4
1981	125 cc	1st	Minarelli	8
1982	125 cc	1st	Garelli	6
1983	125 cc	1st	Garelli	6
1984	125 cc	1st	Garelli	6
1985	80 cc	9th	Derbi	1
1986	80 cc	7th	Derbi	0

[edit] Honours

Nieto was in the crowd at the French MotoGP at Le Mans on 18 May 2008, dressed to ride with a special shirt congratulating Valentino Rossi for equalling Nieto's 90 wins. Nieto mounted Rossi's bike, and Rossi as a passenger held a flag aloft with "90 + 90", as they took a victory lap^[1].