Jorge Martínez Salvadores, nicknamed "Aspar", (born 29 August 1962) is a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

former professional

motorcycle racer Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Ot ...

and racing team manager. He competed in the

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

road racing Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

world championships from 1982 to 1997. After retiring from active competition, Martínez became a successful motorcycle racing team owner. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers in

Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...

history with 22 Grand Prix victories to his name in the 80 cc class and a further 15 wins in the 125 cc class. In 2019, Martínez was inducted into the

MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...

Hall of Fame.

Motorcycle racing career

Martínez was born in

Alzira, Valencia Alzira ( es, Alcira) is a city and municipality of 45.088 inhabitants (62,094 floating population) in Valencia, eastern Spain. It is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Ribera Alta in the province of Valencia. The city is the heart of the second l ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. He entered his first Grand Prix in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

. Between

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

and

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

, he claimed a total of four

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in these two categories, three times in the 80cc event and once at 125 cc. In 1988 he achieved the ‘double’, taking both crowns that year. His nickname was Aspar, a Spanish link with the shoe making industry which was given to him as a direct result of his father’s occupation as a cobbler.

Racing team owner

After his competitive career had ended in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, he went on to create and manage the

Aspar Team Aspar Team (formerly Ángel Nieto Team) is a Grand Prix motorcycle racing team from Spain, competing in the Moto2, Moto3 and MotoE World Championships. History The team was created by former world champion Jorge Martínez in 1992, when he was s ...

. In the

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

season, Aspar team rider

Nicolás Terol Nicolás "Nico" Terol Peidro (born 27 September 1988) is a Spanish professional motorcycle road racer, winner of the 125cc World Championship in . He has previously competed in the Superbike World Championship and the Supersport World Champion ...

finished in second place in the 125cc class while his teammate Bradley Smith finished fourth, both riding

Aprilia RSA 125 The Aprilia RS 125 is a race motorcycle manufactured by Aprilia to race in the Grand Prix motorcycle World Championship, built to replace the old Aprilia AF1. It was debuted in , and it had many upgrades since. The bike won ten World Champions ...

motorcycles.

Julián Simón Julián Simón Sesmero (born 3 April 1987) is a Spanish motorcycle racer. He is best known for winning the 2009 125cc World Championship. Career 125cc World Championship Born in Villacañas, Toledo, Spain, Simón began his racing career r ...

finished in second place in the inaugural

Moto2 Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of ...

campaign, with teammate

Mike Di Meglio Mike Di Meglio (born 17 January 1988) is a French Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and three-time world champion claiming the 2008 125cc title,

finishing in twentieth place on Honda-powered Suter chassis. Aspar rider

Héctor Barberá Héctor Barberá Vall (born November 2, 1986) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He competes in MotoAmerica aboard a BMW S1000RR. Career Born in Dos Aguas, Valencia Province, Barberá began his World Championship career at the ...

finished in twelfth place in the MotoGP division aboard a Ducati Desmosedici GP10. Martínez was inducted into the

Hall of Fame in 2019.

Complete Grand Prix motorcycle racing results

Points system from 1969 to 1987: Points system from 1988 to 1992: Points system from 1993 onwards: (

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

References

External links

Team Aspar web site

Mapfre Aspar Aprilia web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Jorge People from Ribera Alta (comarca) Sportspeople from the Province of Valencia Spanish motorcycle racers Motorcycle racing team owners 50cc World Championship riders 125cc World Championship riders 1962 births Living people 80cc World Championship riders 125cc World Riders' Champions