Ángel Nieto: "I want to see Valentino on the podium"

Yesterday, a small group of bloggers (five to be exact) had the opportunity to share a table with the greatest figure in Spanish motorcycling, Ángel Nieto. This meal, to which we were invited thanks to the underwear brand Abanderado, took place at the restaurant “La Misión” (calle José Silva 22, Madrid).

The entire meal was filled with anecdotes, laughter and a really great atmosphere. Despite our incessant questions to the champion, there was time to talk about everything and anything, though, as could not be otherwise, the motorcycle world championship was the most talked-about topic. We enjoyed ourselves so much that the two hours we had planned for the whole thing turned into a little over four.

To avoid mixing topics, I will try to divide the meal by periods, going from the days when Ángel raced, which he talked about at length, to the present, where he gave us his opinion on even the crisis we are all immersed in.

The first stop led us to discuss the technology of the motorcycles of yesteryear, in which “if you lifted a little, you would stall”. He told us that the technicians back then were true composers (in the style of the great classical musicians), who often tuned the power of the two-stroke engine by ear, trying to find that extra horsepower that decided a race. Bikes that, in the master’s words, “if you dropped below the 700 rpm range where the bike pulled, you practically had to push it with your feet, and if you went over it, you burned out the engine. You rode by feel; you had to know where the bike was pulling and decide the best moment to shift.”

For all this to be possible, and for it to be feasible to win a championship, he worked with around 20 people, who worked directly with him. Many were mechanics, technicians and engineers. The main difference with today’s teams, he says, is that “the technicians of before were the ones who later went to the factory for engine, chassis, etc. tests. Now those people don’t leave the factory, and the ones who accompany the rider are track technicians who fiddle with everything on the bike.”

In this section he recalls with great affection Jaan Thiel, with whom he won eight world titles out of the 12+1 that everyone knows he has. “I chose my technicians for whatever factory I was working for. I always brought my trusted people, because I knew they were very good.”

Furthermore, Ángel does not seem satisfied with just the championships he won. Like any great champion, he firmly believes that on several occasions external factors beyond his control took world championships away from him. For example, he remembers a race in former Yugoslavia where he ran out of fuel, and with great humor he recalls arriving at the pits furious and giving the “look” to the man in charge of the fuel. This still happens today; with electronic controls in the top categories we rarely see it now, but every mistake on the bikes is paid for.

One of the things that has always most caught my personal attention is how he was able to win a championship and then stop attending the remaining races of the world championship. To this, Nieto responds: “you had to know how to choose the moment. Amid all the euphoria and celebration over clinching a championship, I said it and there was no turning back. If I had waited two days, they wouldn’t have let me.” He enjoyed his time off in Ibiza so much that on one occasion, at Silverstone, he managed to delay a race so that they could fix his bike in time to race and thus win the championship without having to go to the next Grand Prix.

Another thing that has always aroused our curiosity, and I believe every fan’s too, is about the long circuits of the past and the difficulty they posed in learning the track layout. You had to find your own tricks wherever you could. This is how, at the Nürburgring, “I would ride a street bike and pay a toll per lap. I’d spend a whole day going round and round to learn it, although on such long circuits you couldn’t always go flat out, because you didn’t know all the reference points.”

If anything is clear, it is that Ángel Nieto was ahead of his time, also a bit of a rogue, since he was as cunning as anyone and knew how to win the battles of minds and of the track.

Moving closer to more recent times, he recalls the period when he was team manager, with much nostalgia but no desire to return to the role. He remembers Alzamora and Cardús as great riders with the potential to reach the very top, but he thinks it is a very thankless job if you don’t win. “What I am most proud of is stopping Gelete so that Alzamora could win one more point, which in the end gave him the championship.”

“What I envy most about the modern era is the safety that exists, but before there was a closer spirit. There was plenty of rivalry on track, yes, but when we got off the bikes we spent time together in the paddock or going out partying, although I still do that now.”

As for today’s world championship, we asked him about his favorite riders. The first name that came up was Marc Márquez. He believes he has everything a rider of his era needed, plus what a rider today needs. “His hunger to win is impressive.” Next came Dani Pedrosa, of whom he says he is “the best rider technically there is, but he weighs very little and that makes it hard for him to control the bike.” And on the technical side, he doesn’t find a great reference on the grid, since he is used to a different kind of technician from those there are now. But he knows that in every team there is one key man: “the telemetry engineer, he is a very important guy”.

Regarding the changes in the top category, “CRT was a necessary change and a great idea. The existing model was not sustainable; the bikes couldn’t cost what they cost. If we had continued along the same line, we would have ended up with no bikes at all.” “On the other hand, Moto3 is a shift toward street bikes. Few two-strokes are being built now, and it is a generational change.” “Last week I was in Jerez, at the practice sessions, and I tried Nico Terol’s 125. I didn’t push it much, I no longer like going fast anywhere, but in second gear on some straights I accelerated a bit more and it still lifted. They have a lot of acceleration; you could compare it to a 250 cc I have in the museum. To be able to compare, I also tried the Moto3. It isn’t that fast yet, though only just, but it will be.”

And how could we talk about the top category without talking about Valentino Rossi? “I want to see Valentino on the podium. He has done more for motorcycling in history than anyone, and if he comes back to the front it will be good for the championship and for the spectators.”

Leaving competition aside and talking a little about his role at Telecinco, he tells us they have given him a sort of free rein to do whatever he likes. “It is going to be more informal than on TVE, it’s going to be a lot of fun”. He will make documentaries and will jump into the commentary booth when he sees a very intense race. “Mela is going to stir things up”.

To finish, as at any meal held these days, whether among friends or family, the conversation turns to the crisis we are living through. On this, Nieto is fearful: “What is happening frightens me. In no other country, and I have known many, is it like here, not even half as good. That’s why I think about those young people who have to leave. Where are they going? The situation we have is very sad.”

Sharing a moment like this with Ángel has filled us with happiness. We hope he takes a good memory of us too, and that it can be repeated in the future.

Photos | Alejandro Batán (Plusmoto.com)