Kaskians
The Kaska (also Kaška, later Tabalian Kasku and Gasga) were a loosely affiliated Bronze Age non-Indo-European tribal people, who spoke the unclassified Kaskian language and lived in mountainous Pontic Anatolia, known from Hittite sources. They lived in the mountainous region between the core Hittite region in eastern Anatolia and the Black Sea, and are cited as the reason that the later Hittite empire never extended northward to that area.
Early history
The Kaska, probably originating from the eastern shore of the Propontis, may have displaced the speakers of the Palaic language from their home in Pala.
The Kaska first appear in the Hittite prayer inscriptions that date from the reign of Hantili II, c. 1450 BC, and make references to their movement into the ruins of the holy city of Nerik. During the reign of Hantili's son, Tudhaliya II (c. 1430 BC), "Tudhaliya's 3rd campaign was against the Kaskas." His successor Arnuwanda I composed a prayer for the gods to return Nerik to the empire; he also mentioned Kammama and Zalpuwa as cities which he claimed had been Hittite but which were now under the Kaskas. Arnuwanda attempted to mollify some of the Kaska tribes by means of tribute.
Gas Gas
Gas Gas is a Spanish motorcycle manufacturer, specialising in off-road motorbikes. Gas Gas are best known for their trials bikes, although they also make successful enduro and quad bikes.
Gas Gas emerged from the financial demise of Bultaco when two agents, Narcìs Casas and Josep Pibernat, found themselves with a shop but no product to sell. So they embarked on a programme to manufacture trials motorbikes for sale in their shop.
Manufacturing
Gas Gas have manufactured and sold motorcycles since 1985. A majority of the Gas Gas models are still handbuilt at the Gas Gas factory in Salt (near Girona), Spain.
Gas Gas began manufacturing trials bikes in 1985, enduro and motocross bikes in 1989, and quads in 2002.
Championships and riders
In 1993, Gas Gas succeeded in luring the multiple world trials champion Jordi Tarrés away from Beta and he promptly won three successive world trials championships (1993, 1994 and 1995) for Gas Gas.
More recently Gas Gas have won the Trial Outdoor World Championship twice (2005 and 2006) with Adam Raga. They have also won the Trial Indoor World Championship in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 also with Raga riding.
