Si Derbi is a name that still evokes many things for the oldest among us, the Spanish brand created by Simeon Rabasa Singla in Mollet del Vallès, near the location that would later be used for the future Barcelona circuit-Catalunya, at best evokes for others only a few off-road mopeds without any real originality.
Passed into the fold of the Piaggio group in 2001, Spanish production did not in fact resist the absorption of the transalpine giant and the factory Derbi de Martorelles permanently closed its doors in March 2013 following the decision to repatriate production to the Italian group's factories.
And yet! And yet, during the 21 world titles acquired, how many champions have made us vibrate on Derbi, from Ángel Nieto à Mike Di Meglio, passing of course by Jorge Lorenzo?
The Pierer Mobility Group is fielding KTMs, Husqvarnas and GASGAS, so why wouldn't Piaggio be fielding Derbi in his satellite team which would come to support, with Miguel Oliveira et Raul Fernandez, the official Aprilia RS-GP ofAleix Espargaró et Maverick Vinales in 2023?
At least that's the hypothetical idea mentioned by the excellent Instagram account MDuranDesign, which offers very high quality illustrations over the months, most of them purely for the pleasure of the eye, but some that are somewhat prescient...
