MotoGP: Top 5 Spanish riders of all-time

#3 Alex Criville

The first MotoGP World Champion from Spain - Alex Criville

Such was Catalonian born Alex Criville's passion for racing that he falsified his age in order to be eligible to race competitively at the age of 14 in 1985 when the legal age to do so in Spain at the time was 15.

Two years later, in 1987 he made his debut in the 80cc category. In 1988, he was runner up in the 80cc class. In 1989, he made the switch to 125cc class. He won 5 races and won the Championship that year. His success earned him a promotion to the 250cc class. His career trajectory continued to rise and in 1992, he moved to the Premier Class of 500cc racing for Team Sito Pons.

He really began to find his groove after moving to Team Repsol Honda in 1994. He was a teammate to the legendary Mick Doohan. Doohan's crash in 1999 paved the way for Criville to seize the opportunity and win his first title at the Premier Class level, the very first Spaniard to do so. In all, Criville won 20 races from 193 starts.