When Bultaco finish I understand the problem very quickly and I go around the World. I know Acerbis and I know Ariete I know
everybody and after SWM come to me and ask me to do racing for them. I say ok, you pay me .They pay me 20,000 euro and give me 50 bikes . For this I make team from my 10 friends to ride the Spanish championship.
The SWM Spanish team that GasGas ran and organised on behalf of the factory. Piber is 2nd from the right.
everybody and after SWM come to me and ask me to do racing for them. I say ok, you pay me .They pay me 20,000 euro and give me 50 bikes . For this I make team from my 10 friends to ride the Spanish championship.
The SWM Spanish team that GasGas ran and organised on behalf of the factory. Piber is 2nd from the right.
Pep Piella and Juan Riudalbas were both Spanish SWM riders . The entire team was run by GasGas during part of the 80's.
Piber showed me the original GasGas SWM and Bultaco stamps that he had made up.
In my first year with SWM I sell 2000 bikes of SWM. At this time 1 Montesa cost 200,000 pecetas about 1000 euro’s and the SWM is 2000 euros and I pay 60% customs to enter Spain. It was a very nice bike, light nice. SWM was a very nice bike. It was double price of Montesa.
Montesa see the problems on Bultaco. At this time Oriel Bulto come to me and say you need to stay Bultaco but I say to him that Bultaco will not arrive at the end of the year. Mr Bulto at this time no go the factory, they no have the materials. I go to factory at one time with my book of things needed for the competitions.
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I order 3 or 4 things from the Bultaco factory and asked to take them to the competitions. I go there with my green book and make the order and get the parts. After when I no use the parts I taken them back Bultaco for their stock. This work ok, but the people in America at this time have no stock and they ask for recambio spares and get nothing from Bultaco. These 20 people with the paper work at Bultaco talk about the football and this and that. One day the director may arrive Bultaco and say to these men why you no work. These men say thing “The light is deficient in here”. Another man would be asked to take some cables and put in another place. That man would say this is the job of another man. When Paco was there everything was organised, put this here, put that there boom boom boom, no problem but when Paco no go they make nothing. Bultaco have many problems. The credit come from Franco and then he go. This along with the other problems I say end Bultaco. I am convinced Bultaco could have survived. 450 - 500 people in total worked there in Bultaco. The Bultaco company developed into complicated company when no need. This was no good. The directors make no music ha ha. There is so much more.
Which years did you ride the Spanish championship?
73 to 81
GasGas shop mechanic Dani Font working on the bike with Josep Pibernat
Which years did you ride the Spanish championship?
73 to 81
GasGas shop mechanic Dani Font working on the bike with Josep Pibernat
What results did you get?
I was 7 times 2nd to Narcis who win. Narcis was a great rider and often we ride at the same level. We were both the same team so we never fight. I was happy with 2nd, no problem. Paco pay me for first place. I remember Narcis my partner is a very clever and competitive man and I see this very early on. He no make nothing in the day when I am working and I cannot see him in the shop. He is gone. He just make prepare for the race and I see him before the race and I ask him where he has been and he say ha ha I am practising. |
Oriel Puig Bulto was a successful rider and a friend to everyone on the Trials circuit, at a time when brand loyalty was at fever pitch.
The manager is Oriel Puig Bulto and he say to me “Hey Piber I pay you for first, but you no push Narcis”. I arrive 2nd ha ha. Narcis and me were very equal. He is a very good friend and is a tremendous rider. I was always very close. He was one second in front of me or I'm one second in front of him. Some time he is kind to me and he help me win and other times I help him. At this time we are partners. We do this for the competition for 7 years. With the team, every time on the top Bultaco. When we do different categories he win one, I win the other class. I win the 175 and 250 categories. In motocross I arrive 2nd in Spain but I wasn't able to make 2 of the competitions in Europe. After the last round I ride I have a 29 point advantage, Tony Elias in 2nd behind me. Then there are 2 more races and it's not possible for me to go and Tony beat me by 1 point for the championship of Spain. In Bilbao there is an enduro which is very muddy and wet and I arrive there straight from Czechoslovakia.
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I take the bike and get up the huge hills through the mud and no one else arrives at the top. I finish alone. This was very good. When Bultaco start in the Motocross Montesa was very strong and Ossa. Bultaco take me and Elias from Enduro and put us in Motocross. They say “Piber you must make motocross”. I say I no like but ok and I start this. At this time after I start Enduro I am now riding motocross and enduro at the same time for 2 or 3 years. I maybe make 100 competitions motocross, but I win 99 of them. I like enduro with you by yourself in the mountain with your bike. With motocross it was different, I do nothing just race and the mechanic do everything. I do nothing with the bike at this time.