Angel Nieto He was one of the most representative faces of Spanish sport. Born in Zamora, Nieto dedicated himself to motorcycling, but his beginnings were not a bed of roses. He worked from a young age and emigrated from city to city with the aim of having a better life and being able to dedicate himself to what he really liked: motorcycles. Madrid and Barcelona were the perfect setting in which a young boy from a very humble family became one of the greats of motorcycling. If you are curious to know more about this Spanish figure, keep reading because in this article we will tell you 10 things about Ángel Nieto that you should know.
1. Did you know that Ángel Nieto's relationship with motorcycles began when he was very young?
Ángel Nieto had his first contact with motorcycles when he was just 10 years old. After moving from his native Zamora to Madrid, Nieto began working as an apprentice in a workshop in Vallecas to contribute to the family economy. Later, he moved to Barcelona and started working at the Derbi motorcycle factory, and it was there that he was able to get his first motorcycle, which was second-hand and did not exceed 40 km/hour.
2. At what age did Ángel Nieto win his first two Grand Prix?
In 1968, at the age of 19, Ángel Nieto managed to convince the directors of Derbi to give him a 50 cc motorcycle to compete in races. That year, and without having much experience, Nieto won his first two major competitions, and with them he would begin a career full of success after success that would make him a legend.
3. Did you know that this motorcyclist had a lot of trouble starting his bike and that this put him at a disadvantage?
Despite being one of the best in his field, the truth is that when it came to starting off in races, Ángel Nieto always had problems. This motorcyclist did not know how to start his bike, which meant he lost a lot of time compared to the other riders, who overtook him thanks to this mistake. However, the Zamora native was not intimidated and when he managed to start his machine he made spectacular comebacks that left no one indifferent.
4.What victories did Ángel Nieto achieve?
Throughout his almost 20-year racing career, this rider managed to achieve some of the most coveted victories by all. In 1986, Nieto had already managed to obtain six World Championships in the 50 cc category and seven victories in the 125 cc category. As if these figures were not important enough, we must also add to his record the four times he was runner-up in the world championship, the 23 times he was champion in Spain and the five times he was runner-up in our country. Nieto was undoubtedly a champion like few others, since the numbers speak for themselves and the fact that he managed to get on the podium around 500 times and won 90 Grand Prix only confirms the talent that Nieto had.
5. Did you know that Ángel Nieto “saved” the King’s life?
In the early 1970s, the then prince King Juan Carlos bought a car, specifically a Formula 1430. Nieto, who wanted to test it, did so before the King used it, and when taking a curve, the driver crashed. In response to this accident, Ángel Nieto apologized for the state in which he left the newly purchased car, to which Juan Carlos de Borbón only thanked him for having “saved his life."From then on, although they were not friends, they did have a very close and cordial relationship, to the point that it is said that when the pilot died, King Juan Carlos cried and felt deep sadness upon hearing the news.
6. Did you know that one of Nieto's greatest rivals was also one of his greatest friends?
Angel Nieto and the British pilot Barry Sheene They were great rivals in the competitions they took part in. For Angel Nieto, Sheene was an incredible person whom he admired, “the Valentino Rossi of that time.” In this way, and after meeting in many competitions, both drivers managed to forge a friendship based on how similar they were in many things and on the way they saw life. As Nieto himself recounted, when they were competing in a race on the Dutch circuit, the drivers were in first and second position and as neither wanted to beat the other they stopped on one occasion, but when they saw that the third had already caught up with them they had to continue and accelerate.
7. What was the superstition that the pilot had?
Ángel Nieto had a great superstition about the number 13, and he never mentioned it, but instead spoke of 12+1. This is due to a tragic moment in his life. On November 13, 1977, he suffered the worst accident as a motorcyclist, and on a section of the Benidorm circuit that lacked safety, Nieto lost control of the brakes of the motorcycle and ran over five people, one of whom lost a leg. Nieto was also in a very complicated situation when he threw himself off the motorcycle because he could not control it. Since that occasion, the pilot did not mention that number again, to the point that when he won his thirteenth prize in 1984, he said that he had won 12+1.
8. Which pilots arrived after Nieto?
With Ángel Nieto, a generation of drivers who would come later began. He was the father of the other drivers Ángel Nieto Jr. and Pablo Nieto, as well as the uncle of Fonsi Nieto. In addition, many others outside his family wanted to follow in the footsteps of the successful driver and new ones emerged such as Pons, Herreros and Pedrosa Lorenzo among others.
9. Do you know the reasons why Ángel Nieto retired?
In 1988, the greatest of all riders retired from motorcycling tracks because, as he himself said, he no longer felt motivated by what he did nor did he enjoy it. In Nieto's own words, his feeling when racing in recent times was this: "when you are thinking about retiring, you lose a second on each lap." However, the world of motor racing would not end for him, because although he did not continue competing, Nieto began a new career as a sports commentator for TVE.
10. Until the last moment the engine was present in his life
Ángel Nieto died in 2017 at the age of 70 in Ibiza, where she had lived for a long time. The cause of death was due to a traffic accident suffered by the motorcycle legend while riding her quad. On August 3, she died due to a massive cerebral edema from which she was unable to recover.
Angel Nieto, a pioneer and legend of motorcycling, laid the groundwork for many to come after him. From a humble family and a hard worker since childhood, this pilot knew how to forge a path full of successes in which he left not only his achievements, but also the most valuable lessons as an athlete but also as a person.He is considered the greatest legend of motorcycling and an example to follow for many of those who later wanted to be like him.
