Terol takes last-ever 125cc title

Nico Terol marked his name down in history as the last ever 125cc World Champion by taking the 2011 title, following in the footsteps of fellow countrymen Julián Simón and Marc Márquez who preceded the 23 year-old from Alcoy in a strong Spanish dominance of the category in recent years.

Touted as the man to beat going into 2011, Terol immediately set the tone by taking victory in five of the opening seven rounds to leave little doubt over his pre-season tag as title favourite. An injury which prevented his participation at Assen and a mechanical failure at Brno presented mid-season moments of concern, but Terol’s quality was underlined as he bounced back from the Czech Republic disappointment with three consecutive wins.

Pushed until the final round of the campaign by rival Johann Zarco, Terol sealed his first World Championship title in front of his home crowd at the Valencia GP with second position, closing another illustrious chapter in Grand Prix history as the 125cc class makes way for the new Moto3 category in 2012.