Rubén Xaus (born 18 February 1978 in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
,
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...
,
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 ...
) is a retired
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 ...
road racer. During his career he competed in both 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 ...
and the
MotoGP. He is nicknamed '
Spider-Man', as his lanky frame leads him to hang over the bike in an unusual way.
Early years
His father, who competed in amateur mountain
bicycle races, gave Xaus his first motorcycle at the age of five, a
Montesa 25cc. Aged 14 he was racing dirt-bikes, but his father convinced him to turn his attentions towards road racing. Xaus took part in the 125cc Catalan Championship, the 125cc Solo Moto Criterium, and that same year he took victory in the 80cc Catalonia Supermoto Championship.
In 1994 he competed in the Open Ducados Supersport series in Spain – finishing 17th place, improving to third the following year. In 1995 he entered the FIM Thunderbike trophy and contested four 250cc Grand Prix. Xaus finished sixth in Thunderbike in 1996, moving to World Supersport in 1997 taking 17th overall.
In 1998 he rode in the German Pro-Superbike series, taking sixth place overall. In he finished fifth in the
Supersport World Championship, taking his first ever victory at
Misano. In he rode one of the official
Ducati factory team Supersport bikes, finishing seventh and taking one victory.
Superbikes
For he moved to the factory Ducati Superbike team in partnership with then-champion
Troy Bayliss
Troy Bayliss (born 30 March 1969 in Taree, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian motorcycle racer. During his career Bayliss won the Superbike World Championship three times and a MotoGP race, all with Ducati. He finished his career aft ...
. He struggled early in the season, with a best result of 5th from the first 8 meetings. However, in race 2 at
Oschersleben
Oschersleben () is a town in the Börde district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The population in 1905 was 13,271, in 2020 about 19,000.
History
On November 23, 994 Oschersleben was first mentioned in a document by the Emperor Otto III. In 1235 ...
he became the first Spaniard ever to take victory 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 ...
. A pair of 2nds at
Assen
Assen () is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in 1809. Assen is known for TT Circuit Assen, the ...
(helping Bayliss to clinch the title) and a second win at Imola gave him sixth in the championship. Sixth place in was followed by fifteen podiums and seven victories in , finishing runner up to teammate
Neil Hodgson
Neil Stuart Hodgson (born 20 November 1973) is a British former motorcycle racer, who won the 2000 British Superbike Championship, and the 2003 Superbike World Championship titles. He then went on to have a moderately successful four years in t ...
MotoGP
Xaus made his move into the
MotoGP World Championship in
2004 as part of the satellite D'Antin Ducati team. The team was grossly under funded and could not afford testing time, but Xaus adapted better to the situation than teammate Hodgson. Consistent points-scoring performances and a first podium at
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
saw him snap up the ‘Rookie of the Year’ title and 11th place overall in the championship standings. In
2005 he moved to the Fortuna Yamaha Team to ride alongside his friend
Toni Elías
Antonio "Toni" Elías Justícia (born 26 March 1983) is a Spanish professional motorcycle racer and inaugural champion of the Moto2 World Championship. He is the third member of the Elías family to compete in motorcycle racing. He currently ride ...
. But a more pronounced power delivery and difficult chassis and Xaus's charging/forced riding style meant he looked a different rider to the one of 2004. He crashed numerous times, finishing 16th overall with a best finish of 10t
By season
Superbikes part 2
For he returned to 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 ...
, with a ride for the new
Italy, Italian satellite Ducati team
Sterilgarda Berik, alongside team owner
Marco Borciani. He twice set the fastest lap, but his fast charges often ended in crashes, and he was only 14th overall.
He ended the season 6th with a total 201 points (next behind the former world champion
Troy Corser
Troy Gordon Corser (born 27 November 1971) is an Australian former professional motorcycle road racer. He competed in the Superbike World Championship from 1992 to 2011 except for the 1997 season when he competed in Grand Prix motorcycle raci ...
), scoring the team's first victory in Valencia.
For Xaus was joined by
Max Biaggi
Massimiliano "Max" Biaggi (; born 26 June 1971) is an Italian former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who achieved six World Championships. With four 250 cc road race titles and two in World Superbikes, he is one of only two ri ...
on a
Ducati 1098R
The Ducati 1098 is a sport bike made by Ducati from 2007 to 2009, in three versions, the 1098, 1098S, and 1098R. The 1098 was succeeded by the 1198 in 2009, though the 1098R remained in production that year.
The 1098 shares more design element ...
for
Sterilgarda-GoEleven, under the team management of Borciani. He finished 2nd in race 2 at the season-opening event in Qatar and took a victory at Misano in Race 2 in front of Biaggi and Bayliss, but has had no further podiums. At
Donington Park he believed he had finished 3rd in a race stopped by heavy rain, but found out immediately before the podium celebration that he had been disqualified for not returning to the pits quickly enough after crashing immediately before the race was stopped. He then refused to leave the podium and verbally assaulted the marshals, including the rider who inherited the third spot on the podium - his team-mate
Max Biaggi
With three rounds remaining he lies 10th in the standings.
On 26 June 2008, Xaus signed to ride the
BMW S1000RR bike for the factory
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand of BMW, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division. It has produced motorcycles since 1923, and achieved record sales for the fifth year in succession in 2015. With a total of 136,963 vehicles sold i ...
team in the 2009 WSB Championship.
Personal data
On 16 March 2007 Xaus married long-term partner Mariona. The wedding was held in
Andorra
, image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg
, symbol_type = Coat of arms
, national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...
, where the couple live with their daughter Julia, who was born in November 2006.
SBK – Official Site – News
/ref>
Xaus' hobbies include mountain biking, snowboarding and golf. He is 183 cm tall and weighs 74 kg.
Career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Races by year
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Supersport World Championship
Races by year
Superbike World Championship
Races by year
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xaus, Ruben
1978 births
Living people
Spanish motorcycle racers
Motorcycle racers from Catalonia
MotoGP World Championship riders
Superbike World Championship riders
Sportspeople from Barcelona
Supersport World Championship riders
Tech3 MotoGP riders