Ángel Nieto

Ángel Nieto Roldán (25 January 1947 – 3 August 2017) was a Spanish professional Grand Prix motorcycle racer. He was one of the most accomplished motorcycle racers in the history of the sport, winning 13 World Championships and 90 Grand Prix victories in a racing career that spanned twenty-three years from 1964 to 1986.[1] His total of 90 Grand Prix victories ranks him third only to the 122 by Giacomo Agostini, and the 115 for Valentino Rossi.[2] In 2011, Nieto was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements.[3]

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Nieto and the second or maternal family name is Roldán.

Ángel Nieto
Ángel Nieto in 1972
Nationality	Spanish
Born	25 January 1947 (1947-01-25) Zamora, Spain
Died	3 August 2017(2017-08-03) (aged 70) Ibiza, Spain
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1964 – 1986 First race 1964 50 cc Spanish Grand Prix Last race 1986 80 cc Baden-Württemberg Grand Prix First win 1969 50 cc German Grand Prix Last win 1985 80 cc French Grand Prix Team(s) Derbi, Morbidelli, Kreidler, Bultaco, Minarelli, Garelli Championships 50 cc – 1969, 1970, 1972, 1975–1977 125 cc- 1971, 1972, 1979, 1981–1984 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 186 90 139 16 63 1,782

Motorcycle racing career

Nieto 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.[1] 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.[1] He retired in 1986 at the age of 39 with a total of 90 Grand Prix victories and 13 World Championships. Known to be superstitious, he preferred to refer to his championship tally as "12+1".[4]

Later he operated a Grand Prix motorcycle racing team with two riders – his son, Ángel Nieto Jr. and Emilio Alzamora, who won the 125 cc title. He commentated on Grand Prix races for Spanish television. 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.[5] Nieto attended the 2008 French Grand Prix at the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit 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.[6]

Personal life and death

Ángel Nieto had been living in Ibiza for many years.[7] His two sons, Ángel Jr. and Pablo, both followed their father into motorcycle racing, as well as his nephew Fonsi Nieto.[8][9][10]

On 26 July 2017, Nieto was hit by a car while driving his quad bike in Ibiza. He was taken to a hospital with a head trauma where he was put into a medically-induced coma and underwent surgery; his condition had been called "serious but not critical".[11][12] On 3 August, his condition significantly worsened after being woken from his coma. He died the same day, aged 70.[11]

Nieto on the big screen

A documentary called Ángel Nieto: 12+1, directed by Álvaro Fernández Armero, was released in 2005. The film covers his entire career and a wide array of competitors, cyclists inspired by him and reporters who covered his career contribute their opinions and impressions regarding his fight to achieve and sustain his goal of world champion.[13] The 1973 year, when Nieto raced with the 125 Morbidelli, is also recalled in the documentary Morbidelli – a story of men and fast motorcycles, released in 2014 and directed by Jeffrey Zani and Matthew Gonzales.[14]

Honours

• 1982: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Civil Merit.[15]
• 1993: Knight Grand Cross in the Royal Order of Sports Merit.

Complete Grand Prix motorcycle racing results [2]

Points system from 1964 to 1968:

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6
Points	8	6	4	3	2	1

Points system from 1969 onwards:

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Points	15	12	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Class	Bike	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Points	Rank	Wins
1964	50cc	Derbi	USA -	ESP 5	FRA -	IOM -	NED -	BEL -	GER -	FIN -	JPN -						2	10th	0
1965	50cc	Derbi	USA -	GER 5	ESP -	FRA -	IOM -	NED -	BEL -	JPN -							2	12th	0
1966	50cc	Derbi	ESP 5	GER -	NED -	IOM -	NAT -	JPN -									3	6th	0
1967	50cc	Derbi	ESP 6	GER -	FRA 5	IOM -	NED 2	BEL 4	JPN -								12	4th	0
1968	50cc	Derbi	GER -	ESP 2	IOM Ret	NED -	BEL 3										10	4th	0
1969	50cc	Derbi	ESP 2	GER -	FRA 2	NED -	BEL -	DDR 1	CZE 3	ULS 1	NAT -	YUG 2					76	1st	2
1970	50cc	Derbi	GER 1	FRA 1	YUG 1		NED 1	BEL 2	DDR 3	CZE -		ULS 1	NAT -	ESP 4			87	1st	5
	125cc	Derbi	GER -	FRA -	YUG 2	IOM -	NED -	BEL 1	DDR 1	CZE -	FIN -		NAT 1	ESP 1			72	2nd	4
1971	50cc	Derbi	AUT 2	GER 3		NED 1	BEL 3	DDR 1	CZE -	SWE 1		NAT 2	ESP -				69	2nd	3
	125cc	Derbi	AUT 1	GER -	IOM -	NED 1	BEL -	DDR 1	CZE 1	SWE -	FIN -	NAT 2	ESP 1				87	1st	5
1972	50cc	Derbi	GER 2			NAT 2		YUG 2	NED 1	BEL 1	DDR -		SWE -		ESP 1		69	1st	3
	125cc	Derbi	GER DNS	FRA -	AUT 1	NAT 1	IOM -	YUG -	NED 1	BEL 1	DDR -	CZE -	SWE 1	FIN 2	ESP 3		97	1st	5
1973	125cc	Morbidelli	FRA -	AUT 3	GER 2	NAT -	IOM -	YUG -	NED -	BEL 2	CZE -	SWE -	FIN -	ESP 2			46	7th	0
1974	125cc	Derbi	FRA -	GER -	AUT 2	NAT 1	NED -	BEL 1	SWE -	CZE -	YUG 2	ESP 5					60	3rd	2
1975	50cc	Kreidler	ESP 1	GER 1	NAT 1	NED 1	BEL 2	SWE 2	FIN 1	YUG 1							75	1st	6
1976	50cc	Bultaco	FRA Ret		NAT 1	YUG -	NED 1	BEL 2	SWE 1	FIN -	GER 1	ESP 1					85	1st	5
	125cc	Bultaco		AUT 4	NAT 3	YUG -	NED 3	BEL 1	SWE 2	FIN -	GER -	ESP 2					67	2nd	1
1977	50cc	Bultaco			GER 3	NAT 3	ESP 1		YUG 1	NED 1	BEL 3	SWE 2					87	1st	3
	125cc	Bultaco	VEN 1	AUT -	GER 6	NAT 5	ESP -	FRA -	YUG 2	NED 1	BEL 2	SWE 1	FIN -	GBR -			80	3rd	3
1978	50cc	Bultaco		ESP -			NAT -	NED -	BEL -				GER 2	CZE -	YUG -		12	11th	0
	125cc	Bultaco	VEN -	ESP -	AUT -	FRA -	NAT 7	NED -									88	2nd	4
Minarelli								BEL 2	SWE 2	FIN 1	GBR 1	GER 1		YUG 1
1979	125cc	Minarelli	VEN 1	AUT 1	GER 1	NAT 1	ESP 1	YUG 1	NED 1	BEL -	SWE -	FIN -	GBR 1	CZE -	FRA -		120	1st	8
1980	125cc	Minarelli	NAT 5	ESP -	FRA 1	YUG -	NED 1	BEL 1	FIN 1	GBR -	CZE -	GER 2					78	3rd	4
1981	125cc	Minarelli	ARG 1	AUT 1	GER 1	NAT 4	FRA 1	ESP 1	YUG -	NED 1		SM 2	GBR 1	FIN 1	SWE -	CZE -	140	1st	8
	250cc	Siroco-Rotax	ARG -		GER 5	NAT -	FRA -	ESP -		NED -	BEL -	RSM -	GBR -	FIN -	SWE -	CZE -	6	23rd	0
1982	125cc	Garelli	ARG 1	AUT 1	FRA -	ESP 1	NAT 1	NED 1	BEL 5	YUG 3	GBR 1	SWE 6	FIN -	CZE -			111	1st	6
1983	125cc	Garelli		FRA NC	NAT 1	GER 1	ESP 1	AUT 1	YUG 11	NED 1	BEL 2	GBR 1	SWE -	RSM DNF			102	1st	6
	250cc	Yamaha	RSA -	FRA -	NAT -	GER -	ESP NC	AUT NC	YUG NC	NED -	BEL -	GBR -	SWE -				0	–	0
1984	125cc	Garelli		NAT 1	ESP 1		GER 1	FRA 1		NED 1		GBR 1	SWE -	RSM DNF			90	1st	6
	250cc	Garelli	RSA -	NAT NC	ESP -	AUT -	GER -	FRA -	YUG -	NED -	BEL -	GBR -	SWE -	RSM -			0	–	0
1985	80cc	Derbi	ESP -	GER -	NAT -	YUG -	NED NC	FRA 1	RSM NC								15	9th	1
1986	80cc	Derbi	ESP 2	NAT NC	GER 4	AUT 8	YUG 4	NED 4			GBR NC	SWE -	RSM 5	BWU NC			45	7th	0
	125cc	Ducados	ESP -	NAT 2	GER -	AUT -		NED 10	BEL -	FRA 9	GBR -	SWE -	RSM -	BWU -			15	13th	0

References

1. 50 Years Of Moto Grand Prix (1st edition). Hazelton Publishing Ltd, 1999. ISBN 1-874557-83-7
2. Ángel Nieto career statistics at MotoGP.com
3. "FIM Legends" (PDF). fim-live.com. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
4. Gadd, Mick (3 August 2017). "Angel Nieto dead: Motorsport family in mourning over 13-time world champion". mirror. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
5. MotoGP Legends at MotoGP.com
6. Rossi wins French MotoGP, AFP, 19 May 2008
7. "Moto, incidente sul quad a Ibiza: condizioni gravi ma non critiche per l'ex campione Nieto". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-07-27.
8. "Ángel Nieto Jr". motogp.com. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
9. "Pablo Nieto". motogp.com. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
10. "Fonsi Nieto". motogp.com. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
11. Shea, Julian (August 3, 2017). "Former World Champion Angel Nieto Dies, Aged 70". New York Times. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
12. "Motorcycling legend Nieto in serious condition after crash". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
13. "Angel Nieto: 12+1". 20 minutos. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
14. "Film Review: Morbidelli – A Story Of Men and Fast Motorcycles". motorcycle.com. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
15. http://elfarodeceuta.es/2017/08/06/los-moteros-ceuties-se-suman-al-homenaje-angel-nieto/

External links

• Ángel Nieto museum photographs
• Ángel Nieto documentary film