A new brand
will appear during the 2021 season. For motorsport enthusiasts, GASGAS is a familiar firm. Indeed, it is very famous for its off-road motorcycles. With the introduction of a new name in Moto3, a whole part of motorcycle history is making its return to competition. A spotlight on the rich history of the firm is necessary.
KTM and the Aspar team announced it with great fanfare: the legendary GASGAS name will make its return to competition next year.
Izan Guevara et Sergio García
will be the spearheads of the ambitious project. The takeover by KTM dates back to 2019, but we have to go back to the last century to find the roots of the factory and its particular name.
In 1973, two men, Joseph Pibernat et
Narcis Casas, work at Bultaco in Catalonia, more precisely in Salt. As a reminder, Bultaco is a popular brand in Spain, which triumphed in off-road (especially in trials) but also in Grands Prix: Ángel Nieto and Ricardo Tormo each won two 50cc world championships at the end of the 1970s riding the Catalans .
Several years later, the picture is tarnished for Bultaco. The 'thumbs up' firm is experiencing major financial problems and bankruptcy is not far away. Never mind: the two employees left the parent company and decided to import Italian off-roaders. The brand in question, SV.VM (generally simplified SWM), is quite obscure and the adventure only lasts a short time.
The passion for off-roading is real and the years of experience at Bultaco give the two men legitimacy to launch their own business. The first GASGAS motorcycle, a trial prototype, left the workshops in 1985. But moreover,
where does this unusual name come from? ?
With Sherco, Bultaco, Montesa and formerly Fantic, Gasgas is one of the leading brands in trials. Here the MC250 'Raga' model from 2006.
The founders wanted a “snappy” name that was immediately recognizable. On a motorcycle, you have to accelerate to be efficient. “Gas” in biker slang. As simple as that. 'Gasgas' sounds good, Spanish and directly gives an idea of the product. For the record, the name had to be translated by the American importer so that English speakers would understand: 'FAST FAST', or 'Rapide Rapide' in French.
Four years later, in 1989, GASGAS began producing enduro machines, a discipline combining motocross and trials. Immediately, the performance is there. Jordi Tarrés put his trust in the new firm and won his four, five and sixth outdoor titles from 1993 to 1995 on the Catalan models.
The leading figure of the firm remains Adam Raga, one of the greatest in the history of his sport. Toni Bou's historic rival won two outdoor world championships (2005-2006) and four indoor championships on GASGAS.
In 1997 and 2000, Steve Colley was the first to triumph for the brand at the Six Days of Scotland, a major event in the world of trials. Dougie Lampkin repeated the feat three times from 2012 to 2014, making the firm legendary.
In enduro, Paul Edmondson, Petri Pohjamo et Wayne Braybrook were all crowned on GASGAS, proving the diversity and know-how of the brand. It also benefits from very strong popularity in the USA and this is perhaps one of the reasons for the Moto3 commitment.
In 2014, GASGAS merged with another legendary brand specializing in trials, Ossa. Business continued until the takeover by KTM in 2019. Thanks to this commitment (similar to Husqvarna), the Austrian Empire achieves a great communication coup while bringing a legendary name up to date. It remains to be seen whether the drivers will live up to the legend of the firm.
Cover photo: Audelas
