The Spanish energy company celebrates four decades in the Motorcycling World Championship, through which it has achieved 25 titles across all categories.
Repsol has been present in the sports sponsoring world since 1969, and two years shortly entered the two-wheeled world.
Ángel Nieto, Jorge Martínez ‘Aspar’, Sito Pons, Álex Crivillé, Emilio Alzamora, Mick Doohan, Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, Marc Márquez… Great names of motorcycling history both in Spain and abroad, with something in general: all of them were or still are Repsol riders. The sport’s history has been written during the four decades in which Repsol has been confirmed as one of the longest-living sponsors.
Everything started in 1971, when a young Ángel Nieto wore for the first time an ‘R’ on his Derbi machine’s fairing. Forty years ago (May 9th, 1971) at the Austrian track of Salzburgring the first round of the spell took place. On that date Repsol’s unbeatable track record ongoing to be forged. Ángel Nieto got on the podium twice that day: second place in the 50cc category and first in 125cc. In the end, he would take his first title in the 125cc class and would be runner-up in the smaller category. A successful start for Repsol, which thus began its sponsorship of motorcycling competitions.
Nevertheless, the first to wear the Repesa logo –Repsol’s embryo− were rally drivers Alberto Ruíz Giménez, Eladio Doncel and José Manuel Lencina, who in 1969 competed with cars of the Lancia and Alfa Romeo brands. That unique design, which Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso used at the Valencia Grand Prix in 2008, is living today in the Repsol Classic Team cars.
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