Derbi

Derbi works

Derbi specials

Derbi works
When Derbi gave the nod for participating in 50cc racing, the factory turned up with tiny, super- lightweight bikes.
Very suitable for a company which name means : DERivado des BIcicleta !

"In 1963, the Derbi Sport fitted with a proper expansion chamber was cleaning house in the sport class as well as the specially prepared Kreidler Florett of the French distributor Leconte, driven by the late Claude Vigreux. In the Course ("GP") class, the Derbis were untouchable."
Philippe deLespinay 2007. 62 Derbi production racer

62 Derbi - Phillipe De Lespinay Phillipe De Lespinay racing his Derbi

62 Derbi raceengine 62 Derbi castings 62 race engine

62 Derbi 7speed transmission 62 works racer

62 French GP - Jose Maria Busquets Santiago Herrero - 62 Derbi

63 Derbi driven by Jose Maria Busquets The Derbi works team, Angel Nieto, Jan Huberts, Jacques Roca, Francisco Tombas, and JoséMaria Busquet

Derbi engine for the 64 season 64 Derbi engine "Jose Busquets, who surprised everyone (well, almost everyone...) by leading the Spanish GP in front of all the works Suzuki, Honda and Kreidler by nearly a minute when one lap from winning it, one of the two rear shock absorbers broke and that was it for the day. That day at Montjuich, the air-cooled 8-speed Derbi was the world's fastest moped!
Busquets later won against Anscheidt on the works Kreidler at Malaga, also beating his team mate Salvador Canellas. There is little doubt in my mind that during 1962 through 1965, Derbi had the fastest 50cc racers, but reliability was marginal due to the use of Spanish-only materials such as Borgo pistons that constantly seized or collapsed. If they had more freedom to import decent alloys (forbidden under Franco's regime), the story of Suzuki and Honda winning the 50cc class could have been very different.
I met Francisco Tombas, the man behind Derbi´s success, in 1964 When I purchased a whole slew of parts for my own Derbi GP bike, only to be caught at the border and fined heavily by the French customs and spending the night in jail with a guy caught carrying a gun.
Morality: always hide the invoices where they can't find them, mail them to yourself! Happy days then..."
Philippe deLespinay 2007

65 Rouen - Jacques Roca - Derbi 65 Rouen - In the Derbi pit - Jaques Roca and Angel Nieto

Leif Rossell - Derbi production racer

65 Derbi production racer 65 Derbi driven by Börje Jansson, Sweden

Philippe deLespinay on comparing Derbi to Kreidler:

"The Derbi was not that cheap then, but the Kreidler did not offer any "kit" parts until 1968 in the form of the RS engine kit. Derbi offered two versions of their machines, a "production-racer" for the French "Sport" class, and a "Carrera-Cliente" as a full GP machine patterned after the 1962 model used by Jacques Roca at Clermond-Ferrand to win the first international race for Derbi. The "Sport" version had a cast-iron cylinder, an 18mm Del'Lorto carb and expansion chamber. It produced 7HP at 12000RPM. The "Carrera-Cliente" had a small triangular seat and a fairing, an alloy-finned cylinder with a cast-iron liner, more radical porting and a very usable 9HP. The "Sport" version could reach 120KM/H while the true racer was good for 150KM/H. Both had the 5-speed box and wet clutch. The price was FF1200.00 for the "Sport" and FF2300.00 for the "Carrera-Cliente". A STOCK, road-going Kreidler was FF1900.00, and the RS kit FF900.00. Then, one had to do all the cycle parts on the Kreidler, including a build of a tubular Earles-type front suspension, while the Derbis came with vented drum brakes, proper telescopic forks and decent shocks. I raced both and no doubt that the Kreidler handled better but the Derbi was simply faster and had better brakes. However, while the Kreidler was a model of utter reliability with its Nikasil cylinder and forged piston (the VERY first EVER in motorcycle racing), the Derbi suffered from continual seizures due to their poor cast pistons. So winning a race with a Derbi also involved keeping it together. Never such a concern with the Kreidlers."
64 Derbi Carrera Cliente of Cédric Foliot

Börje Janssons prod. racer - now owned by Mikael Kyander(S) Classic Derbi at the races

65 Derbi of Mikael Kyander, Sweden Ian Plumridge at the 65 TT - Derbi A Derbi in Japan 67

65 Derbi Carreras cliente - production racer 65 Derbi race engine

66 Derbi of Jose Maria Busquets 67 Charade - Derbi of Angel Nieto
67 Derbi of Angel Nieto Roldan The Derbi production racer of Oscar Pastros

67 Derbi - belongs to Cédric Foliot

68 Assen - Jacques de Ara - Derbi

68 Derbi frame

68 Derbi of Barry Smiths

69 Derbi

69 Derbi rear Francisco Tombas testing a 69 Water cooled Derbi engine The weak spot of the watercooled engines, conrod big-end

Celebrating yet another worldchampionship - Angel Nieto Francisco Tombas pleased with tests

69 Derbi of Santiago Herrero

69 Derbi left Angel Nieto ready to take on the world - again !

70 Derbi Santiago Herrero and Barry Smiths returning to the Derbipits

Australian Barry Smith did well on Derbi The Derbi team 1970 Vandespaanse, Martin, Canellas, Mingote, Carrigua, Nieto, Mevr, and Rabassa

Derbi engine 70 Salvadore Canellas

Derbi GP engine for the 71 season. The watercooled Derbi of 71

Derbi 50 72 Derbi GP

Nieto in pit - GP of Spain 72 72 result : Derbi won 50 and 125 titel !

71 Derbi - Fred van der Hoeven 71 GP - Gilberto Parlotti

72 The final year for Derbi 72 Assen Aalt Toersen Derbi
73 Derbi production racer In 73 Derbi launched another series of production racers, with an aircooled engine.

The Derbi Nieto replica of 73 Derbi production race engine

73 Replica Angel Nieto - aircooled engine 73 Production racer

Derbi specials
Derbi special racing in 1975

The RAN special of Giorgio Paci. Superbly modified Derbi RAN.

Giorgio Paci racing one of his Derbis.

Derbi RAN modified in Italy.

Derbi special GP racing in 1976

Derbi works When Derbi gave the nod for participating in 50cc racing, the factory turned up with tiny, super- lightweight bikes. Very suitable for a company which name means : DERivado des BIcicleta ! "In 1963, the Derbi Sport fitted with a proper expansion chamber was cleaning house in the sport class as well as the specially prepared Kreidler Florett of the French distributor Leconte, driven by the late Claude Vigreux. In the Course ("GP") class, the Derbis were untouchable." Philippe deLespinay 2007.






	"Jose Busquets, who surprised everyone (well, almost everyone...) by leading the Spanish GP in front of all the works Suzuki, Honda and Kreidler by nearly a minute when one lap from winning it, one of the two rear shock absorbers broke and that was it for the day. That day at Montjuich, the air-cooled 8-speed Derbi was the world's fastest moped! Busquets later won against Anscheidt on the works Kreidler at Malaga, also beating his team mate Salvador Canellas. There is little doubt in my mind that during 1962 through 1965, Derbi had the fastest 50cc racers, but reliability was marginal due to the use of Spanish-only materials such as Borgo pistons that constantly seized or collapsed. If they had more freedom to import decent alloys (forbidden under Franco's regime), the story of Suzuki and Honda winning the 50cc class could have been very different. I met Francisco Tombas, the man behind Derbi´s success, in 1964 When I purchased a whole slew of parts for my own Derbi GP bike, only to be caught at the border and fined heavily by the French customs and spending the night in jail with a guy caught carrying a gun. Morality: always hide the invoices where they can't find them, mail them to yourself! Happy days then..." Philippe deLespinay 2007




Philippe deLespinay on comparing Derbi to Kreidler: "The Derbi was not that cheap then, but the Kreidler did not offer any "kit" parts until 1968 in the form of the RS engine kit. Derbi offered two versions of their machines, a "production-racer" for the French "Sport" class, and a "Carrera-Cliente" as a full GP machine patterned after the 1962 model used by Jacques Roca at Clermond-Ferrand to win the first international race for Derbi. The "Sport" version had a cast-iron cylinder, an 18mm Del'Lorto carb and expansion chamber. It produced 7HP at 12000RPM. The "Carrera-Cliente" had a small triangular seat and a fairing, an alloy-finned cylinder with a cast-iron liner, more radical porting and a very usable 9HP. The "Sport" version could reach 120KM/H while the true racer was good for 150KM/H. Both had the 5-speed box and wet clutch. The price was FF1200.00 for the "Sport" and FF2300.00 for the "Carrera-Cliente". A STOCK, road-going Kreidler was FF1900.00, and the RS kit FF900.00. Then, one had to do all the cycle parts on the Kreidler, including a build of a tubular Earles-type front suspension, while the Derbis came with vented drum brakes, proper telescopic forks and decent shocks. I raced both and no doubt that the Kreidler handled better but the Derbi was simply faster and had better brakes. However, while the Kreidler was a model of utter reliability with its Nikasil cylinder and forged piston (the VERY first EVER in motorcycle racing), the Derbi suffered from continual seizures due to their poor cast pistons. So winning a race with a Derbi also involved keeping it together. Never such a concern with the Kreidlers."