In the end of season battle where both Hayden and Rossi had to perform at their best to determine the championship, Nicky Hayden did what he had to do and Rossi made an unforced error. After a bad start dropped Rossi from the pole to 7th position, he was stuck in traffic and having a hard time trying to move up. Hayden, ran up to second spot and then was passed by Capirossi and relegated to third. Rossi simply tried too hard to make up lost ground and lost the front in a left hander, sliding into the gravel. He remounted and rejoined the race in 19th position eventually finishing in 13th, an excellent effort but not enough and the Kentucky Kid finished third in the race, but most importantly, first in the 2006 MotoGP Championship. Job well done.
In many way, this was the race between Rossi and Hayden many wanted to see. Where the outcome of one race determines the championship, everything from qualifying to the race itself counts and in the end, Hayden stood on top. Congratulation, Nicky!
On a side note, if it were not for this race being the last and championship determining race, the excellent performance by Troy Bayliss would be the story, filling in for one race on a Ducati and winning. Unfortunately, that story may get lost in the coverage of the Hayden and Rossi battle but it should not be. Bayliss rode a great race.
When we next see all of the racers they’ll be riding 800cc machines. That should mix things up a bit as factory development influences the finishes as much as rider skill, at least in the beginning. It will be interesting and I’m looking forward to it.
Congratulations again to Nicky Hayden, 2006 MotoGP World Champion.
Photo: Honda Motor Sports
Schneegz says
What an exciting season of Moto GP! After years of the “Valentino Rossi Show”, we finally got the kind of roller coaster ride that makes racing fun to watch. I have no doubt that Rossi is still the best in the world, but Hayden, Capirossi, Pedrosa and now Bayliss (Will he switch to GP now? Man, what a race!) proved they were all contenders for the crown.
Hearty congratulations go to Nicky Hayden, from one American to another. I wish him great success in the years to come.
Now, when does the DVD go on sale? Did the guys that filmed “Faster” film this season too?
zipidachimp says
looks like I was wrong about nicky not having the killer instinct.
where the hell did Bayliss come from? nobody laid a hand on him.
what a season this could have been if bayliss had been here all along, and I hope we see more of him in moto gp next year. A well-deserved win from this years superbike champ, well done!
C. J. Luke, III says
I think we can safely say that Rossi folded under pressure and Nicky didn’t. Congratulations Nicky!
hoyt says
folded under pressure? doubtful. I bet it is more of an indication of how much concentration these skilled riders must have every turn of every lap….
which makes this sport all the more deserving of better coverage than the “Nascar” channel offers
aaron says
I will admit rossi’s crash was bizarre, I can’t defend or explain it. but a majectic ride to yet another third place is what it takes to become an american hero? if you could collect points for a runner up position in battle, would coming off second all the time cut it? funny that a guy who’s ridden a gp6 for the first time managed to win it. too bad for nicky that of all the riders in the field, he’s one of the least likely to succeed on an 800. it’s also too bad that his teammate is in one of the most likely to make the new 800cc bikes his own.
hoyt says
Aaron, we’ll see what happens next year as the 800s get developed….and this is not in disagreement to your points.
I’m not a huge fan of any individual racer (several are fun to watch for their own individual techniques and skill level, including consistency).
It is odd to have several “good enough” finishes awarded the grand prize, especially with such an exciting highly skilled sport. But, at the same time, it says a lot about someone’s ability (and support team) to race consistently well at such an Extreme level, on diverse tracks over 8 months….whether that is N.Hayden or someone else.
I was actually disappointed with the final race except for seeing Bayliss school everyone.
Maybe the sport needs a “race off” of 3 races that only include the top 4 points leaders……randomly drawn tracks get the final races. Best out of three wins the championship. ??
C. J. Luke, III says
testi…testi Aaron 🙂
I suspect that if Nicky had crashed out, you would be more than willing to trash him for folding under the pressure. I personally would have liked to seen the outcome of the race if Rossi had not crashed. Nicky was driving hard and catching Troy when Rossi crashed. I think it would have been a great race if Rossi had stayed in it.
I don’t know what you call an “unforced error” other than letting the pressure get to you???
I don’t regard Nicky as an American hero and I still believe that he has to show me more than what he has so far…but Rossi showed me a lot less this year than last year or before.
As you said…next year will be a new deal and Dani will have an increased advantage because of his weight…but don’t count out the others yet.
If we’re lucky, Troy will come to MotoGp next year 🙂
hoyt says
CJ Luke,
an unforced error could have been the result of Rossi thinking too far ahead as to where he would make his move….and then, “oh shit”, he didn’t fully take care of the corner he was in at the moment. This is not at all letting pressure get to him. Rather more of how much skill & concentration is required every moment of the race.
One of Rossi’s best attributes is his level of calm. If you haven’t seen “Faster” check it out. Doctors compared his pulse rate to Biaggi’s….no comparison.
Rossi showed a tremendous come back this year. Not only in overall points standings but within individual races where he got stuck in the back of the pack. He raced incredibly fast in some of those races to keep the points within range. For him to be in the 2nd position going into the final 2 races is astounding!
C. J. Luke, III says
I like Rossi, and I think that it’s easy to make a case for him being one of the all time most talented bike riders…but that said…he definitely made some mistakes this year…including this last race…and they were mistakes that he made…i.e. “unforced errors”. Those mistakes cost him the championship.
hoyt says
I wrote earlier…”Aaron, we’ll see what happens next year as the 800s get developed….and this is not in disagreement to your points.”
I should say, I don’t disagree with Aaron except for Nicky “being one of the least likely to succeed on an 800”. Nicky has the drive & consistency that will allow him to succeed.
In regards to CJ’s last comment, Rossi may have made mistakes, but I seriously doubt they were from cracking under pressure.
aaron says
my thoughts on nicky’s future success comes from his past experience. the big torquey heavy bikes he has manhandled around the track (RC51 & RC211V) are far from the precise, peaky, small, light, high corner speed 250 experience that most motogp riders have somewhere in their past. his teammate weighs very little, is small, won the 250cc world championship last year, and has compared the new honda to a 250. every other comment i’ve seen from other riders regarding the new 800cc bikes also indicates that the class will more closely resemble 250s rather than superbikes.
if nicky can overcome the weight and aero disadvantages, his style should be entertaining to watch on the new bikes, and if he keeps building on his success, with a few more wins next year I may have nothing left to complain about. (god forbid! ;))
Alberto Carreon says
The battle of Troy
Regaining destined glory.
Three years without a win he persevered.
The auto painter from taree fought sorry.
Returning hero revered.
The advent ex champion brought promise,
As fervent Bologna fans sat track side.
His courage assured no Red demise.
The belief and grit moved failure aside.
In his heart, we rode as witness to faith.
Opportunities redeemed, dreams realized.
Aussie farmboy turned Superman of fate.
The British, World reign, deservedly prized.
Assen crashes showed determination.
Haga slide sampled tremendous fight.
Colin attack displayed dedication.
Suzuki sixth would GSE light.
32 attains national attention.
88 Hines raised eyebrows in Daytona.
21 sustained Ducati domination.
12 now 1, left as: “king of Valencia”.
Troy Bayliss, family man of Monaco,
Traveled lines uncharted and conquered “no”.
Followed fearful bends of uncertainty,
And made his rocky script legendary.
Copyright:ACarreon
rob says
can’t wait for next year. it should be Rossi’s best effort yet. hopefully Nicky can ride just as smart next year as he did this year.
Frank says
Congratulations to Nicky Hayden! I had to say that first. I’ve been pulling for a fellow American to win all year. I do like Valentino Rossi and Danny Pedrosa though! Two awesome riders and very entertaining to watch!
However, I think Nicky Hayden winning the championship was not as much a testament to his skill as it was to how good his bike was. I think Nicky winning spoke more to say that Honda is the better bike of the two. Had it not been for Rossi having bike problems I don’t think Nicky would have one the championship. When both bikes were running well Rossi consistently beat Hayden. Had both bikes run equally well and Hayden beat Rossi, than yes I would say that Rossi was out ridden by Hayden. But that was not the case.
During the last race when Rossi made a mistake I do think it was a rare instance of cracking under pressure for the man that generally handles pressure well.
I think Danny Pedrosa will be a major contender next year. What a sophmore effort he had! His sophmore effort was far better than Nickys first couple of years. Whether on the new 800s or if the bikes were the same as last year Pedrosa is going to be a force to be reckoned with in future years.
Whats up with Sete Gibernau? How can he get so many poles and choke so many times at the same time?