Toni Elias Justicia
was born in Manresa (close to Barcelona
in Spain) on March 26, 1983, in a family
of motor bikes fans. His grandfather,
Toni inculcated the philosophy of the
motor bike in his two sons, Toni the
father of the rider and Jordi who were
both kings of the national motocross
during several years.
The Elias family manages an official
Yamaha shop in Manresa which was the
play-ground of the young Toni. The
omnipresent motor bike in his life took
an all the more large place at the 7
years age when he had his first pocket
bike. After a short passage in
motocross, Toni discovered his true
passion with asphalt and firstly on mini
bikes. As from this moment, Toni began
his first steps in the world of the race
with his first successes.
In 1993, Toni finishes third of the
minibikes Catalunya championship and the
following year becomes vice champion.
With the support of his family Toni
turned to the scooter races. Between
1996 and 1997, Toni had very good
results in scooters, while also taking
part in the Open RACC 50cc with a 50
Yamaha TZR.
In 1998, Toni began on a Yamaha 125 GP
in the Spanish championship when he was
15 years old. He there scored his first
points and finished in third position.
In 1999 he continued his progression in
the Spanish championship and finished
again in third position. He also made
his debut in the World championship
thanks to a wild card, scoring his first
points with a 14th place in Valencia.
The year 2000 was his first complete
participation in the 125cc World
Championship. It was one difficult year
of training which enabled him to obtain
a bike the following season within the
team of the former rider Alberto Puig.
In 2001 Toni got the opportunity to show
his talent in the Movistar Junior Team.
He went on to the podium for the first
time at the French Grand Prix which
allows him to be conscious of his
potential. It went again on the podium
in Catalunya and got his first victory
in Holland where from there he fought
for the world title. Unfortunately the
technical superiority of his rivals as
well as a bad fall in the Pacific Grand
Prix was going to destroy his hopes for
the title. He finished 3rd in the
championship. This position was lived as
a triumph by the young rider who in only
three years had passed from the national
category to the fight for the world
title.
The year 2002 marks his transfer in the
250 category within the team Telefonica
Movistar and Repsol, directed by Jorge
Martinez Aspar. The announced objective
was to accumulate experience and to
learn the secrecies from the new
category with Aprilia. Elias will make
more than to fill his contract on going
several times on the podium and by
gaining an extraordinary victory in
Motegi after a rough duel with Marco
Melandri. Toni finished at the 4th place
of the riders championship.
In 2003, Toni did not disappoint his
fans with the greatest number of
victories (Motegi, Estoril, Sepang), two
second places (Brno and Valencia) and a
spectacular riding style, which enabled
him to fight for the title until the end
of the season. In 2004 within the
Fortuna Honda Team directed by Dani
Amatriain and with his team-mate Roberto
Rolfo, Toni known various problems of
adaptation with his new bike at the
beginning of the season. He finished at
the 4th place of the riders championship
after having gained a splendid victory
in Estoril, finished twice on the second
step of the podium and five times third.
With 8 podiums and 199 points, this
season was one of the best of his
career.
In 2005 Toni made his debut on the
MotoGP class in the Fortuna Yamaha Team.
For him it’s a year of apprenticeship.
Arriving with the thought of gaining
experience, he demonstrated to have
talent and he improved a lot at the end
of the season.
In 2006 Toni enters the Fortuna Honda
Team run by Fausto Gresini and makes his
debut on the Honda RC211V.
In the winter, Toni got off to a good
start on a Honda that was all new to
him. In the first races he amazed
everyone with two splendid catch-up
performances, impressively at Jerez
where he clawed his way up through the
field from last place to 4th and then
in Istanbul (from 12th to 5th).
It looked like being a brilliant season
for Toni but, as so often happens in
racing, he ran into some technical
problems, encountered a set of difficult
races and then had a bad fall at Assen.
But Toni is not one to give up. Near the
end of the season, he won a fantastic
victory in the style of a true champion:
and did so after disputing just 28 GPs
in MotoGP. Toni succeeded in beating
7-times world champion Valentino Rossi,
surprising him on the last bend and
beating him in the sprint for the line:
something that very few racers can say
they have achieved in their career.
Confirmed in the
Gresini team, Toni faces with enthusiasm
the new technical challenges of the 2007
Championship. The 990cc era is finished
the present is the new Honda Rc212V
800cc supported by Bridgestone tyres.
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