Alex Criville

Lore & Background

Alex Criville arrived in the 500cc class with the kind of raw, untamed speed that made older riders uneasy. Riding for Yamaha in his early top-class seasons, he proved he belonged at the front but lacked the factory machinery to convert speed into titles. His breakthrough came when he joined Honda, and the combination of his aggressive corner-exiting style with the Japanese factory's two-stroke machine produced two consecutive world titles in 1999 and 2000. Those campaigns were defined by wheel-to-wheel battles, particularly against Max Biaggi, and the two men traded blows across the season in a rivalry that fans still recount with relish.

Equally defining was the intra-Catalan rivalry with Sete Gibernau. Both riders hailed from the same region, shared a similar aggressive temperament, and their on-track battles carried an almost personal intensity. Paddock stories from that period speak of a mutual respect laced with sharp-tongued banter, and the two men became the face of a new generation of Spanish talent challenging the Italian and Japanese dominance of the era.

As the 500cc class gave way to the four-stroke MotoGP era in 2002, Criville continued to compete, moving between factory and satellite entries with Suzuki and other teams. Though the titles did not follow in the new era, his reputation as one of the fastest riders of his generation was already cemented. He eventually retired from full-time Grand Prix racing, leaving behind a legacy of bold, uncompromising racing that fans of the two-stroke era still celebrate.

In Their Own Story

The air over the Jerez circuit tasted of exhaust and hot tarmac. Criville sat on his Honda, helmet visor down, watching the Gibernau Yamaha disappear into the first corner like a flash of red. Around the pit lane, mechanics shouted over the drone of engines, and the grandstands—packed with Catalan flags—roared a rhythm that vibrated in the chest. He revved the engine once, twice, the twin pistons barking a two-stroke howl that echoed off the concrete walls. The lights blinked. He was already gone, latching onto the inside line, shoulder brushing the barrier, the rear wheel sliding in a controlled arc of blue smoke. Behind him, the whole pack was a single breathing thing, and he was at its throat. That was the Crivi way: not the cleanest line, not the most elegant, but the fastest, most dangerous, most alive.

Reader's Guide

Name: Alex Criville ('El Crivi') Era: Late 1990s through the 2000s, the twilight of the 500cc two-stroke class and the dawn of MotoGP. Signature Machine: Honda RC211V (500cc factory two-stroke), the bike that carried him to back-to-back world titles. Key Achievements: 500cc World Champion in 1999 and 2000. Consistent front-runner across multiple seasons with Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki. A defining figure in the era's most memorable wheel-to-wheel rivalries. Personality: Aggressive, quick-tempered, and fiercely competitive. Criville was known for taking risks that made engineers wince and fans cheer. His rivalry with Gibernau carried a personal, almost familial edge, while his battles with Biaggi had the sharpness of a long-standing grudge. Off the bike, he was the loud, charismatic Catalan who could fill a paddock with his energy. Legacy: Criville represents the last great generation of 500cc specialists—riders whose careers were defined by the brute force of two-stroke engines and by rivalries that felt personal rather than corporate. His two titles remain a touchstone in Spanish motorsport, and his name is spoken with affection by fans who remember the era before electronics and aerodynamics smoothed out the rawness of Grand Prix racing. He is the rider you call to mind when someone says, 'That's how racing used to be.'

Did You Know?

• Criville's back-to-back 500cc titles in 1999 and 2000 made him one of the few riders to hold the top-class crown in consecutive seasons during the two-stroke era.
• His rivalry with Sete Gibernau was uniquely intra-Catalan, with both riders hailing from the same region and their on-track battles often carrying a personal, almost family-feud intensity.
• The nickname 'El Crivi' was a natural shortening of his surname and became so firmly attached to him that in the paddock, calling him 'Criville' felt almost too formal.
• His aggressive, risk-taking riding style—often involving close contact with barriers and rivals—made him a fan favourite and a pit-board headache for team managers in equal measure.