"Jeep Cross" Race Photos

Second "Cup of Spain", 1980

Jeep Cross off-road racing was organized in Spain in 1979 and 1980 by Motor Ibérica, parent company of Jeep manufacturer EBRO. The races were open to EBRO Jeeps and earlier VIASA Jeeps, powered by a Perkins diesel.

Six races per season took place across Spain, and for 1980 the name of the series was officially changed to "Gran Cross."

One of the driver/navigator teams was Josep Antón Rigol (left) and his brother Juan who had a garage called Talleres Rigol Jeep ("Rigol Jeep Workshop") in La Palma de Cervelló, near Barcelona. Josep Antón's son Xavier has saved these photos of the Rigols and some of the other teams on the courses.

The Rigol brothers raced a long-wheelbase CJ-3B labelled by VIASA as a "CJ-6." Many of the Jeep Cross entries carried a spare wheel behind the seats.

There were typically 16 to 20 Jeeps in a race, and the overall winning team of the six-race season took home the "Cup of Spain." There were also cash prizes provided by Motor Ibérica and the other sponsors including Firestone and oil company Repsol.

Juan and Josep Antón had their names on the side of the CJ-6, along with their blood type, O positive.

Note that all of the VIASA and EBRO Jeeps had full-floating rear axles.

Yellow was probably the most popular color for CJ-3Bs built in Spain (see Jeep EBRO Advertising) so several of the entries were yellow, and they wore stickers from the same sponsors such as Cibie Lights and Repsol, so telling them apart on the course could be tricky.

In his book Historia De VIASA y los Jeep en España, Francisco Díaz lists the required safety equipment: "a four-point harness and a full-face helmet for both the driver and navigator. Additionally, a powder fire extinguisher of at least two kilograms, securely fastened in the passenger compartment, was required, along with tow hooks, rubber mud flaps on all four wheels, at least one securely mounted spare tire, and a tow cable."

This yellow 3B had the windshield removed, making it somewhat distinctive. Other than that, telling them apart sometimes came down to license plates, which all the Jeeps had.

The newer CJ-3Bs built by EBRO carried the name Bravo. This blue one is a Bravo S, which came from the factory with roll bar, locking hubs and bucket seats. There was also a long-wheelbase version called Bravo L.

The team of José Alberto García Lobejón and José Antonio Sañudo in the blue Bravo would finish the 1980 season in first place.

The Rigol brothers drove hard and were fan favorites. As you can tell from some of these photos, the fans were very close to the action.

This great shot gives you a sense of the terrain on the courses which were typically about 20km (12 miles) long. The Rigols are in the foreground, and in the background a yellow 3B and a red Comando.

The Comando was the popular Spanish version of the Jeepster Commando, and was produced in several models throughout the 1970s. EBRO also considered a number of designs for an all-new Comando (see Historia De VIASA.)

This Comando appears to be pausing for a photo op. And the dirt bike on the course is a bit of a mystery.

An open-top Comando driven by Josep Lluís Juvanteny with his fiancée Alícia Reixac as co-pilot, carried the number 1 in recognition of their overall first-place finish the previous year, to win the 1979 Cup of Spain.

Francisco Díaz describes that 1979 season in Historia De VIASA: "The races were quite demanding for both vehicles and drivers, and this first championship was very close and competitive, with the winner not decided until the final race. While the CJ vehicles proved more effective in the roughest sections, on the faster stretches the Comandos prevailed due to their superior stability and higher top speed."

Josep Antón and Juan were fun to watch, and more than once were photographed in the air (see Jeep Cross Off-Road Racing for more pictures.)

Although the courses generally look dry and dusty, there was also some mud involved.

The drivers might need to get cleaned up before picking up their trophies.

At the final awards ceremony in 1980, Motor Ibérica announced that it would not be continuing the Gran Cross series the following year. However, Francisco Diaz comments in his book, "Despite only two editions being held, the Jeep/Gran Cross events were a true training ground for off-road racing in Spain, and most of the drivers who would dominate the category in the following years emerged from them."

Thanks to Xavier Rigol and Jaime Gomis for sending me these rare photos. -- Derek Redmond

See more Jeep Cross Off-Road Racing on CJ3B.info.