Aspar MotoGP Team Renamed Angel Nieto Team
Rennie Scaysbrook | January 8, 2018
Aspar MotoGP Team Renamed Angel Nieto Team—The MotoGP Aspar Team will be renamed the Angel Nieto Team for 2018 and beyond, a move from four-time World Champion and team owner Jorge Martinez “Aspar” to honor the memory of his great friend and mentor, 12+1 World Champion Angel Nieto, passed away last year following an accident while riding a quad on the holiday island of Ibiza.
The move will see Nieto’s eldest son Gelete—who raced for Martinez from 1993 to 1997, making 28 Grand Prix appearances—take on a management role in the team that will compete in the CEV Junior World Championship, Moto3, and MotoGP with Spaniard Alvaro Bautista and Czech rider Karel Abraham.
“I took my first steps in racing with Jorge Martínez “Aspar”, he guided me to the top step of the podium in the European and Spanish Championships,” explains Gelete Nieto. “He has always been an important person to our family and alongside him, I am now about to start a new chapter of my professional life in a team that will carry the name of my father. 2016 was his 50th season in the World Championship and I am sure he would have loved to be around for a few more. Motorcycles were his way of life and through this team, we will make sure he remains in touch with his great passion.”