In a wave of great Italian talent, in between big names like Capirossi, Cadalora, Biaggi or Gresini, there was room for a great upset in the 1992 125cc championship, with a spirited Alessandro Gramigni running away with an unexpected title, the first of many for italian manufacturer Aprilia. Very few remember this forgotten campaign, with Gramigni grabbing the big prize, much to the astonishment of the veterans.

Loris Capirossi won the 125cc titles in 1990-91 and progressed to the intermediate class, to fight with his compatriot, Luca Cadalora. That left the 125cc class in 1992 with three veterans: 30-year old Jorge Martinez Aspar, 31-year old Fausto Gresini and 32-year old Ezio Gianola. Aspar had covered himself with glory in the 80cc class (champion in 1986-87) and in 1988 became the last man to take two world titles in the same year, being crowned in bot 80cc and 125cc. Fausto Gresini won the class in 1985 and 1987 for Team Italia FMI, spending his whole career on a  125cc (1983-1994). Same thing applies to Gianola (1983-1993, only 125cc), who came close to Aspar in ’88, always faithful to the Honda bike.

Behind the veterans, there was a pair of Germans that entered the 125cc class in ’89: Ralf Waldmann and Dirk Raudies. Hard charging in their fourth year, they were both aiming for the title and subsequent progression to the upper classes. And then, there was 23 year-old Alessandro Gramigni, born in Florence.

The young Italian started racing on his own in 1987, quickly catching the eye of Team Italia who gave him a ride in 1988 and 1989 in the european 125cc championship. Gramigni delivered, ending both campaigns in second place. It was time for the Tuscan to aim higher: the world championship. 1990 saw him on the podium in Anderstorp (second) and Brno (third), ending the year in ninth place. His first win came in 1991, in Brno, with two other podiums at the other big venues: Mugello and Assen. At the end of ’91, young Gramigni had a win under his belt and a couple of podium, but not enough to rank him as a contender for the following year.

The FIM made a third change to the scoring system in the last three years (1990 – top 15 score points, all results count; 1991- 2 worst placings are discarded), as only the top 10 riders received points, in a 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1 format. Again, every race counted for the final standings. Unsurprisingly, at the end of ’92, this system was also dropped and motorcycle racing established the rules that still apply today.

1992 was a hard fight between four riders: Gianola, Gresini, Waldmann and Gramigni. Raudies, Casanova and Martinez scored the odd victory, but never challenged for the title. The championship had 13 rounds, with Laguna Seca, Salzburg, Brno and Imola being replaced by the Hungaroring, Barcelona, Interlagos and Kyalami. For a better trend analysis, we will split it in three parts.

Part one: Waldmann’s rocket start to the year

The season starts in March, with a rain-hit Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Ralf Waldmann is the undisputed class of the field, with Bruno Casanova as the only one still close. The German wins, as Gianola comes in fourth, more than 20 seconds behind. Gramigni can only finish sixth, while Fausto Gresini crashes.

Next time around, in Eastern Creek, Waldmann wins again in different circumstances, as Gramigni is pipped off the line by just 0.011s. Bruno Casanova finishes on the podium again, just 0.2s adrift. Gresini is fifth and Gianola loses more than half a minute, ending in ninth. A certain Garry McCoy, supported by Barry Sheene, made his debut following Peter Ottl’s injury.

Gramigni takes his revenge in Malaysia, on the Shah Alam track, in another grandstand finish where the same three riders were covered by 0.2s. Casanova is second and Waldmann maintains his 100% podium record in 1992. Jorge Martinez is fourth, Gresini eighth and Gianola is out of the points, more than a minute behind the leader.

The European season kicks off in May with the traditional Jerez round, where Waldmann resumes normal business by winning a close combat against Gresini – just 0.08s separates the pair when the flag drops. The local boy Carlos Giro comes in third, while Gianola is off the pace in tenth. Gramigni had a bike accident on public roads near Mugello, skipping the race due to knee pains. Doctor Costa takes care of the Italian, just as he did when Alessandro was born with a foot malformation. While in hospital, Gramigni got a special call:

It was Barry Sheene. I first thought it’s a prank, because he’s one of my idols. We’re both superstitious, he always ran with #7, I have my number 39.

After four rounds, Waldmann leads the standings with 72 points, ahead of Casanova (42), Gramigni (41), Gresini (26) and Gianola (13). The German’s lead is massive and few would bet against him running away with the title by mid season.

Part two: Gianola mounts a challenge

The spring season schedules the Mugello round, where Gianola wakes up after a slow start of the season. Waldmann falls, as Raudies holds the German flag on the podium. Gramigni is still in some pain, finishing a lowly 11th, while Gresini slipstreams Martinez to clinch fifth at the flag.

The new Barcelona track hosts the first motorcycle GP, with Gianola leading an Italian quartet, ahead of Debbia, Gresini and Gramigni. Casanova is only seventh, as the rocket start of the year seems a distant memory. Same things applies to Waldmann, who finishes outside the points.

On the incredible old Hockenheim there is a new winner, as Bruno Casanova leads a train of seven riders to the chequered flag: Gresini, Waldmann, Debbia, Gianola, Raudies and Gramigni. On the long straights, there is absolutely no chance to ride fast on your own, as slipstreaming is vital. The top 7 are covered by a second, then a huge gap of 25 seconds to the next group of 4, then another 25 second gap to the peloton of 10 other riders.

Time to visit the majestic Assen and another chance to shine for the hard-charging Gianola who wins his third race of the last four. Just as in Barcelona, there is an Italian “poker” at the top, with Gresini second, Gramigni third and Debbia fourth. At the bottom of the top 10, there are Waldmann in ninth and Casanova right behind the German.

8 races are gone, with five still to go. Ezio Gianola cuts a huge deficit of 59 points, as Waldmann (86p) only holds a five-point lead after four weak races. Gresini scores regularly, with three podiums in the last four outings, for a total of 76p. Gramigni’s recovery after the knee issue makes him a regular points-scorer, as he sits behind the leading trio with just 67 points. Still, there is less than a win covering the top four. Alessandro later stated:

It was the middle of the year and I thought I had lost any chance for the title. I started the season thinking of third place in the end.

Part three: more italian wins, Gramigni also consistent

Alessandro Gramigni scores a win at the Hungaroring, ahead of a resurgent Waldmann and veteran Gresini, all three split by just 0.146s. So often, the 125cc balance tilts by the smallest of margins, as the leading group is so bunched up and errors cost a lot. Gianola is down in 11th, dropping to fourth in the standings.

Ezio Gianola retaliates in Magny-Cours, grabbing a solitary win ahead of Ueda and Martinez. His rivals are way back, with Gramigni in fifth, Waldmann in tenth and Gresini out of the race. Fausto drops to fourth, as Gianola rises up into second in the standings, just one point behind Waldmann. Famous debuts as wild-card? It’s time for Regis Laconi to appear.

Donington is the key round, where long-term leader Waldmann finally surrenders the top spot after another dismal run, ended in P7. Fausto Gresini scores his first win of the year, as Gramigni finishes second, some three seconds down the road, to claim the lead in the standings. Gianola doesn’t score any points, but the quartet is so close together, split by the smallest margin of the year: nine points. Far back, there is another rider having his first run on the big stage: Neil Hodgson.

Goodbye Europe, as the pack heads to Interlagos, where the pressure is on. Dirk Raudies takes his first win, with a dominant display that relegates the fight for second place some 11 seconds behind. Martinez grabs P2, ahead of Gramigni and Casanova. It’s an excellent affair for Gramigni, who scores better than all his rivals. Gresini comes home in sixth, Gianola in tenth and Waldmann just can’t recover after such a torrid summer.

With 12 of the 13 rounds confined to history, the four leading riders still have a chance to clich the title in South Africa. Gianola, down in fourth, is 20 points behind leader Gramigni, having won more races. Realistically, Fausto Gresini was the main contender, just 8 points behind the Aprilia man.

The decider: pressure is on, consistency prevails

In Kyalami, Gramigni stamps his authority on Saturday, claiming pole position. Always in the leading group, the Italian doesn’t fight hard for the win, as his three rivals were some 15 seconds behind, in a fierce battle for no big prize. Veteran Jorge Martinez Aspar claims the victory, ahead of Carlos Giro, as Gramigni secures the title with a third place. The only official Aprilia beats a Honda trio, as the Italian manufacturer wins the first of many crowns in motorcycle racing. Twenty years later, Aprilia has 9 crowns in the 125cc category and another 9 in the 250cc championship. The winner declared:

This was my best race ever. I could have won, if needed. I wasn’t afraid of a fall, because I’m not one of those riders who always hit the ground. But in 125cc it’s so close, you can always touch with a rival.

Fausto Gresini finishes as vice-champion, in his last competitive season after such a long and rewarding career. He would give up racing in 1994, with 21 wins under his belt in more than a decade. His presence is still active as a manager nowadays. Honda-man Gianola finished his decade in 125cc in 1993, with 9 wins, 30 podiums and 12 poles. Ralf Waldmann was no match in 1993 for compatriot Raudies, as his special talent shone on the 250cc bikes from 1994 onwards.

What a difference a year makes. In 1992, there were four Italians and two Germans in the top 6. One year later, all the Italians were replaced by Japanese riders, who took the 125cc class by storm, winning four titles (1994-1996, 1998). But in ’92, all the Italians that scored points were high in the top 10 at the end of the year, with Bruno Casanova and Gabriele Debbia often in the leading pack. In the end, it was an emotional triumph for a special rider who gambled on the Aprilia, when all others went for Honda.

Alessandro Gramigni graduated to 250cc, where he had a torrid time during his three-year spell. In 1997, he joined the Aprilia program in 500cc, but the underpowered 2-cylinder bike had only 400cc and Gramigni gave up after just one race, being replaced by Doriano Romboni. He found some confort racing Superbikes (1998-2005), with no great results in the World Championship. He won the Italian SBK title in 2004, on a Yamaha YZF-R1.

Gone but not forgotten, Gramigni is one of the lesser-known champions of the last 30 years, but his bravery and consistency in 1992 proved that it’s sometimes better to have your best races all in one year, unlike Dani Pedrosa for instance, who has spent almost a decade in MotoGP, shining two or three times each year, never winning the title. From a knee injury to developing a new Aprilia prototype, Gramigni overcame all adversity and his name will always be engraved under the “125cc world champion 1992” header.