Gas Gas facts for kids
| Industry | Motorcycles |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1985 in Salt, Girona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Founder | Narcìs Casas and Josep Pibernat |
| Parent | KTM motorcycles |
GasGas is a cool Spanish company that makes motorcycles and bicycles. They are famous for their special bikes used in off-road racing and trial competitions. These bikes are built for tough terrains and amazing stunts!
The company started in 1985 in a place called Salt, in Spain. It was founded by Narcìs Casas and Josep Pibernat. They used to work at another motorcycle factory before starting GasGas.
Contents
GasGas Motorcycles History
How GasGas Started
GasGas began by focusing on trial motorcycles. Trial riding is a sport where riders balance and navigate their bikes over obstacles without putting their feet down. This sport was very popular in Catalonia, Spain, where the company began.
Their first bikes, like the Halley, helped GasGas become known in the trial world. Soon, they also started making bikes for other off-road sports. These included enduro and motocross.
Growing and Winning
Through the 1990s and early 2000s, GasGas became very popular in off-road biking. Their trial bikes were especially successful in competitions. Famous riders like Jordi Tarrés and Adam Raga won many world championships on GasGas bikes.
New Owners and Future
In the 2010s, GasGas faced some money problems. But in 2019, a big Austrian motorcycle company called KTM bought a large part of GasGas. This helped GasGas get stronger and make even more types of bikes. KTM also shared its cool technology and ways of building bikes.
In 2020, another company called Rieju took over some of the GasGas off-road bike designs. They continued to make the enduro models under their own "MR" name.
Champions and Riders
GasGas has a great history of winning championships! In 1993, a top rider named Jordi Tarrés joined GasGas. He quickly won three world trials championships in a row for the company (1993, 1994, and 1995).
Later, Adam Raga won the Trial Outdoor World Championship twice (2005 and 2006) with GasGas. He also won the Trial Indoor World Championship four times (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006).
GasGas bikes have also done well in the World Enduro Championship. Riders like Paul Edmondson, Petteri Silván, and Petri Pohjamo won world titles in different classes.
In 2006, British rider Wayne Braybrook rode a GasGas bike in a super tough race called the Red Bull Last Man Standing. He was one of only two riders to finish the entire 80-mile race!
More recently, GasGas has made a big splash in Monster Energy Supercross. In 2021, rider Justin Barcia won the first race of the season in Houston on a GasGas bike.
The brand has also competed in the famous Dakar Rally. Riders like Laia Sanz, Daniel Sanders, and Sam Sunderland have raced for GasGas. Sam Sunderland even won the 2022 Dakar Rally!
In 2023 and 2024, Spanish rider Jorge Prado (motocross racer) won the top class of the Motocross World Championship on a GasGas bike.
Where to Find GasGas Bikes
GasGas bikes are sold all over the world! You can find them in many countries in Europe, and also in places like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South America, South Africa, and the United States.
Types of GasGas Bikes
Enduro Motorcycles
GasGas makes enduro motorcycles like the EC and EX series. These bikes are perfect for long rides off-road, exploring trails and tough paths.
The FSE and FSR models are special enduro bikes that use fuel injection. They look similar to the EC models.
Trials Motorcycles
GasGas is very well-known for its trial bikes, including the TXT series. These bikes are designed to be super agile and easy to control for trial competitions.
Motocross Motorcycles
The motocross bikes, like the MC series, are built for high-speed racing on motocross tracks. They are powerful and designed for jumps and sharp turns.
Electric Motorcycles
GasGas has also started making electric motorcycles, such as the TXE. These bikes are good for the environment because they don't use gasoline. They still offer great performance!
Quad Motorcycles
GasGas also sells sport quads, which are like four-wheeled motorcycles. They are called the Wild HP brand. You can find them with two-stroke or four-stroke engines.
Enduro Bicycles
Besides motorcycles, GasGas also makes off-road bicycles for enduro riding. They have three models: the ECC, ECA, and G Enduro.
Racing Achievements
GasGas motorcycles have achieved great success in many off-road races. Their trial bikes have won many world championships, showing how good they are.
Grand Prix Racing
GasGas also competes in big road racing events called Grand Prix.
Moto2 Racing
Since 2022, GasGas has sponsored the Aspar Team in the Moto2 world championship. The team is known as the GasGas Aspar Team. Riders like Jake Dixon have achieved podium finishes and wins in this class.
Moto3 Racing
After KTM bought GasGas, the brand entered the Moto3 World Championship. They use a special KTM-based bike called the RC250GP. In 2023 and 2024, riders like David Alonso have achieved multiple wins and podiums for GasGas in Moto3.
Images for kids
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A 2000 GasGas EC 200, an enduro bike.
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A 2001 GasGas XC 250, sold only in the USA.
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A 2003 GasGas EC 200 with special Ohlins suspension.
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A 2003 GasGas EC50 Boy mini bike.
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A 2004 GasGas DE 300, sold only in the US market.
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A 2003 GasGas EC 250.
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A 2006 Gas Gas Raga edition trials bike.
See also
In Spanish: Gas Gas para niños
