Alberto Puig (born 16 January 1967) is a Spanish former
Grand Prix solo
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...
professional
road racer who is team manager for the
Honda HRC Castrol
Honda HRC Castrol is the official factory team of the Honda Racing Corporation in the MotoGP class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing (World Championship road racing), formally backed by principal sponsor Repsol for 30 years until the end of 2024 ...
team in
MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...
.
Motorcycle racing career
Puig had his best year in
1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
, when he finished in fifth place in the 500 cc class.
In
1995
1995 was designated as:
* United Nations Year for Tolerance
* World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War
This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
, Puig became the first Spanish competitor to win his home nation's 500 cc Grand Prix when he won the
1995 Spanish Grand Prix
The 1995 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 May 1995 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló. It was the fourth race of the 1995 Formula One season. Both Damon Hill and Rubens Barrichello experienced gearbox problems on the ...
.
He then scored two more podium results to place himself in third place in the world championship, before he crashed heavily during practice for the
1995 French Grand Prix and broke his left leg, ending his season prematurely. He returned in
1996
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events January
* January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
but his injuries hindered his progress and he decided to retire at the end of the
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
season at the age of 30.
Team manager
Puig runs the Red Bull MotoGP Academy, designed to find and train promising Grand Prix racers and, he is credited with starting the careers of
Casey Stoner
Casey Joel Stoner (born 16 October 1985) is an Australian retired professional motorcycle racer, and a two-time MotoGP World Champion, in and . During his MotoGP career, Stoner raced for the factory teams of Ducati and Honda, winning a tit ...
,
Dani Pedrosa
Daniel Pedrosa Ramal (born 29 September 1985) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Grand Prix motorcycle racer who retired from regular competition after the season. He grew up in Castellar del Vallès, a village near Sabadell. He is a ...
and
Toni Elías. Puig also acted as manager for Pedrosa. He was named as Repsol Honda's team principal for the
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
season and has continued in that role through the present
2022 season.
Despite having only ever won
one race, Puig stirred controversy in the sport by diminishing the value of the
2020 season following
Marc Márquez
Marc Márquez Alentà (born 17 February 1993) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who races for the Ducati Lenovo Team. He previously raced for the Ducati satellite team Gresini in 2024 and Honda's factory team from his MotoGP deb ...
's crash in the opening round by stating, "But my opinion, and I know what I am talking about, is that when you win but the champion is not on the track you always have something left inside." "I will set my example: I won a race here in 1995, and I've always wondered if I would have won it if Mick Doohan hadn't fallen."
Jack Miller responded that he had "heard two people say now two questions about the validity of the championship, and it's a complete crock".
Motorcycle Grand Prix Results
Points system from 1969 to 1987:
Points system from 1988 to 1991:
Points system in 1992:
Points system from 1993:
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
External links
Alberto Puig Honda team manager profileOfficial website
Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puig, Alberto
1967 births
Living people
Spanish motorcycle racers
250cc World Championship riders
500cc World Championship riders
Motorcycle racers from Barcelona