Àlex Crivillé

125cc career

In 1988, Crivillé also raced in the 125cc class, predominantly at rounds not held in the 80cc class. He retired at the Belgian GP, scored his first points with ninth at the British round, then retired in Sweden and finished seventeenth in Czechoslovakia. He ended the season 31st in the championship with 7 points.

For 1989 he moved to the JJ Cobas team. After skipping the Japanese round, he won back-to-back in Australia and Spain, scoring his first podium in the latter. He retired at the Nations GP but took the fastest lap.

Another win came at round five in Germany, with third in Austria and second in the Netherlands. After a retirement in Belgium, he took consecutive second places in France and Great Britain, then poles and wins in Sweden and Czechoslovakia. Crivillé won the championship with 166 points, ahead of Spaan's 152.

250cc career

In 1990, Crivillé moved to the 250cc class with Giacomo Agostini's team. He skipped the Japanese round, retired in the United States, then finished seventh in Spain, retired in Italy, eleventh in Germany, retired in Austria, seventh in Yugoslavia, and retired in the Netherlands and Belgium. He closed the season with eighth in France and Great Britain, ninth in Sweden, seventh in Czechoslovakia, a season-best fifth in Hungary, and sixth in Australia.

He finished 11th in the championship with 76 points. For 1991 he returned to the JJ Cobas team. He retired in Japan and Australia, then scored eighth in the United States. Retirements followed in Spain and Italy, with seventh and ninth in Germany and Austria.

After retirements at the European and Dutch rounds, he finished seventh in France, then retired in Great Britain and San Marino. His season-best fifth came in Czechoslovakia, he retired at the Vitesse du Mans round, and finished sixth in Malaysia. He placed 13th in the championship with 51 points, recording nine DNFs and no podiums or wins in his two 250cc seasons.

500cc career

Crivillé moved to the 500cc class in 1992 with the newly formed Pons Racing team. He retired in Japan, then scored seventh in Australia. In his third race, he took his first podium with third in Malaysia. After a retirement in Spain and eighth in Italy, he retired in Europe, then finished fourth in Germany.

At the Dutch GP he made history by winning, becoming the first Spaniard to win a 500cc race, beating John Kocinski by 0.762 seconds. He was disqualified in Hungary for switching bikes on a drying track, then retired in France and Great Britain, with sixth in Brazil and seventh in South Africa. He finished eighth in the championship with 59 points. In 1993 he stayed with Honda Pons.

He finished sixth, fifth and fifth in the first three rounds, then took third in Spain. After a retirement in Austria, he placed fourth in Germany and third in the Netherlands.

Three consecutive retirements followed at the European, San Marino and British rounds. He finished eighth in the Czech Republic, sixth in Italy, seventh in the United States and fourth at the final FIM round. He ended eighth in the championship with 117 points.

Retirement

At a press conference before the 2001 Portuguese Grand Prix, Crivillé was asked about rumours regarding his future with the Repsol Honda team. He replied that he did not know what was going on and that talks were ongoing, hinting at possible alternatives. On November 12, 2001, he announced he had parted ways with the team after ten years and was considering his options for 2002. He stated that everything would be decided that week and that he alone would make the decision.

There were plans to ride a Factory Aprilia four-stroke bike, but the proposal he hoped for did not appear, leading him to talk to Luis d'Antin's Antena3 d'Antin Yamaha team. He did not rule out retiring. However, he was unable to start in 2002 due to undetermined health problems. In late 2001 he stated he had been forced to take a break because of a condition causing temporary loss of consciousness since 1999, and that after consulting specialists he was advised to stop riding for a while.

On May 5, 2002, at age thirty-two, he held an emotional press conference during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix and announced his retirement, citing his illness. He stated he would take a year off and might later return to bike racing in some role.

Did You Know?

• Crivillé falsified his age to start racing at 14 in 1985, as the minimum age for a license in Spain was 15.
• At his debut 80cc race in 1987, he qualified third and took second place with the fastest lap.
• He won the 1989 125cc world championship with 166 points, 14 ahead of runner-up Spaan.
• In 1992 he became the first Spaniard to win a 500cc Grand Prix, at the Dutch TT, beating John Kocinski by 0.762 seconds.
• Crivillé recorded nine DNFs in the 1991 250cc season, the highest amount in his career.