Àlex Crivillé

Àlex Crivillé is a Spanish former motorcycle racer who became Spain's first premier-class World Champion in 1999, paving the way for the generation of Spanish riders who followed.

Àlex Crivillé Tapias was born on March 4, 1970, in Barcelona, Spain, and made his Grand Prix debut in the 80cc class in 1987. He won the 125cc World Championship on his first full attempt in 1989, aged just 19, before moving through the 250cc class and up to the premier 500cc category in 1992, where he became the first Spanish rider ever to win a 500cc race, taking victory at the Dutch TT in Assen. Crivillé joined the factory Honda team in 1994 to partner the era's dominant rider, Mick Doohan, and the pair had a series of thrilling battles over the following seasons, with Crivillé recording 47 podiums and 14 victories between 1994 and 2001 while largely riding in Doohan's shadow. Crivillé's defining moment came in 1999, when, with Doohan sidelined by a career-ending injury early in the season, he seized his opportunity, winning six races to become Spain's first-ever premier-class World Champion. He remained competitive for a further two seasons before health problems forced his retirement ahead of the 2002 season. Crivillé was inducted as a MotoGP Legend in 2016, and his 1999 title is widely credited with paving the way for the wave of Spanish premier-class champions who followed, including Sete Gibernau, Jorge Lorenzo, and Marc Márquez.

Aggressive, physically committed rider known for hard-fought overtakes and racecraft

A trailblazer whose title paved the way for Spain's later domination of the premier motorcycle racing class

• 500cc World Champion (1999)
• 125cc World Champion (1989)
• First Spanish rider to win a premier-class Grand Prix (1992)
• MotoGP Legend (2016)