Description
By: Julian Ryder . # 3 in an exciting new series of Official MotoGP Reviews
There may have been a more dramatic season of motorcycle racing than MotoGP 2006 gave us, but no-one can quite remember when that might have been. Nicky Hayden became World Champion on the very last day of the season after a year that saw some great racing and some genuine shocks.
The last year of the 990cc formula also gave us something we have never seen before: Valentino Rossi trying to cut back another rider's points lead. In all seven of his World Championships, he has led from the front and controlled the field. This time it was the young American who stretched out a lead and was then pursued all the way to the final race.
As well as the Doctor and the Kentucky Kid, a new generation of fast and fearless young racers moved up from the 250cc class and made an instant impression. Australians Casey Stoner and Chris Vermeulen both started from pole position and stood on the rostrum in their first seasons in MotoGP, while Spanish national hero Dani Pedrosa won three races to become Rookie of the Year. Dani also instigated what could have been one of the most costly crashes motorcycle racing has ever seen.
For this third edition of MotoGP Season Review, British Eurosport's MotoGP commentator Julian Ryder describes the action with the help of photographer Andrew Northcott's stunning imagery and the support of some essential features. Each bike is examined in detail, each rider's season is subject to scrutiny, and there is the unique poll in which every racer who rode more than once votes to decide who is the Riders' Rider of the Year. This year's result may surprise you.
In 2007 MotoGP is governed by a new set of regulations and engine capacity drops to 800cc. MotoGP Season Review 2006 is the story of the last year of the monsters.
