Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127797
Alex Criville By Henny Ray Abrams Photos by Gold & Goose he secret to Alex Criville's success has very much to do with the fact that he's up to his neck in condoms. Clearly and proudly displayed on the collar of his colorful Garibaldi leathers, prime commercial real estate, the last line of defense before the exposed head, is the logo of Durex, a British prophylactic. company which has jumped on the Criville bandwagon this year. Part of its sponsorship package involves having a pair of 7-foot-tall condoms waltzing around the paddock and doing promotional work with the former 12Scc World Champion. It presents an interesting paradox: Criville, a quiet, soft-spoken and very anonymous 26year-old, the only SOOcc World Championship contender who still lives with his parents, in the house where he grew up in Seva, a small village outside of Barcelona, parading around with a couple of very large rubbers. The bigger issue, of course, is why they would be attracted to him. His demeanor is restrained, to be polite, and though he projects a certain innocence, he lacks the charisma of a Doohan or Schwantz. Yet since he rides for the most successful team in GP racing, and comes from a country obsessed with motor sports and its heroes, he is the number-one billboard on the Iberian Peninsula. Besides Durex, he is personally backed by Marlboro and his presence on the works Honda squad is a big reason that they attracted backing from Repsol, the Spanish oil conglomerate. And his success can be readily attributed to his being able to retain and satisfy these sponsors for the five years he's been on a SOOcc GP bike. "Of course, I've been lucky with these things with the sponsor," Criville said during a recent interview in the Repsol Honda hospitality tent. "Spain is one country where people love this sport." Though Mick Doohan is steamrolling his way to a third consecutive title, it's Criville whose riding has surprised many this year. He's been able to put up the occasional flash result in the past, but this year he's been a model of consistency. Aside from a couple of silly crashes in Malaysia and Jerez, he's finished second to Doohan five times, and has a third and fourth. But the pinnacle came when he finally broke through and beat Doohan at the Austrian GP in Zeltweg. It adds up to a solid second in the championship after 10 of 15 races. "Now 1 feel more comfortable with the bike and maybe that's the reason (for his success), Criville says. "I think 1 can be more comfortable." Introspection does not appear to be an overriding trait of the young Spaniard. He reveals little of himself and is known for giving stale answers to questions. He'll thank his team, which he says has worked very hard, and thank his sponsors, and add that he has to try harder. Part of it can be attributed to his having no mentor. There has been no one to give him a public face and his technical knowledge is largely self-taught. "I had to work by myself," said the rider who describes