Juan Manuel López Mella (
Lugo, 12 April 1965 –
Albacete
Albacete (, also , ; ar, ﭐَلبَسِيط, Al-Basīṭ) is a city and municipality in the Spanish autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, and capital of the province of Albacete.
Lying in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula, the ...
, 10 May 1995) was 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 ...
professional
Grand Prix and
Superbike
A sport bike (sports motorcycle, or sports bike) is a motorcycle designed and optimized for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on asphalt concrete race tracks and roads. They are mainly designed for performance at the expense of comfor ...
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
racer. Entering international competitions for the first time in 1987, he came third in the 1991 Spanish Superbike race at
Jarama
Jarama () is a river in central Spain. It flows north to south, and passes east of Madrid where the El Atazar Dam is built on a tributary, the Lozoya River. It flows into the river Tagus in Aranjuez. The Manzanares is a tributary of the Jaram ...
and was named Spanish Superbike champion in both 1991 and 1992, becoming the highest placed private rider overall in 1993. In 1995, he started riding in the Thunderbike tournament but was killed in a road accident after competing in only three races. His city of birth has named a park that teaches road safety in his honour.
Motorcycling career
Born on 12 April 1965 in
Lugo in
Galacia, Spain, Juan López Mella started his racing career with motocross but by the age of eighteen had moved to asphalt. After debuting nationally in the Criterium Solo Moto in 1985, he progressed to racing in the World Championships in the 250cc class in 1987. After a season riding a Yamaha, during which he scored no points, he moved to a Honda in 1988; once again he finished outside the championship rankings. In 1989, he raced in the
World Motorcycle Championship, coming fortieth at the end of the season.
Between 1990 and 1992, he competed in the
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing.
The championship was founded i ...
, finishing with thirty three starts and ninety nine points over the three seasons.
During the
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
season, he achieved his sole podium placing when he came third in the Spanish round at
Jarama
Jarama () is a river in central Spain. It flows north to south, and passes east of Madrid where the El Atazar Dam is built on a tributary, the Lozoya River. It flows into the river Tagus in Aranjuez. The Manzanares is a tributary of the Jaram ...
with a time of 40:05.859. He subsequently competed twice in 1992, coming thirteenth both times. He was named Spanish Superbike champion in both 1991 and 1992.
In 1992, he entered in the
Grand Prix 500 cc class with a
Yamaha YZR500
The Yamaha YZR500 was a for 500cc Grand Prix racing motorcycle made by Yamaha from 1973 through 2002.
Racing history
The YZR500 was ridden by championship winners Giacomo Agostini (1975), Kenny Roberts (1978, 1979, 1980), Eddie Lawson (1984, ...
, riding for his own Lopez Mella Racing Team during the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
[ In 1993, he came twelfth overall, the highest placed amongst the private sponsored riders. During 1994, he replaced ]Kevin Schwantz
Kevin Schwantz (born June 19, 1964) is an American former professional motorcycle road racer. He was the world champion of the 1993 FIM Road Racing World Championship.
Early life
Schwantz, whose parents owned a motorcycle shop, learned to ride ...
in the Suzuki team for the European Grand Prix
The European Grand Prix (also known as the Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One event that was introduced during the mid-1980s and was held every year from to , except in . During these years, the European Grand Prix was held in a countr ...
at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. He came thirteenth riding a Suzuki RGV500.
Death and legacy
In 1995, López Mella started the season racing in the Thunderbike Trophy, completing the first race at Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway bet ...
in fourth place. However, on the evening of 10 May, while riding with Cristina Blanco Trinidad near Albacete
Albacete (, also , ; ar, ﭐَلبَسِيط, Al-Basīṭ) is a city and municipality in the Spanish autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, and capital of the province of Albacete.
Lying in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula, the ...
, his motorbike left the road and crashed. An ambulance was called to take him to the hospital in the town but he died before arriving. In his honour, Lugo named a park that is set up to teach road safety in his name.
Career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Races by year
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
Superbike World Championship
Races by year
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez Mella, Juan
1965 births
500cc World Championship riders
Sportspeople from Lugo
Spanish motorcycle racers
250cc World Championship riders
1995 deaths
Superbike World Championship riders