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All following press releases dated 29 October 2006:

From a press release issued by Honda:

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Nicky Hayden MotoGP World Champion

The ‘Kentucky Kid’ is now the 2006 MotoGP World Champion. Nicky Hayden has taken on the best riders in the world and triumphed in what has been a gruelling 17-race season spanning the globe – the toughest task in motorcycle racing.

But here at Valencia, Spain the 26-year-old has achieved his life ambition and taken the greatest prize in two-wheel racing.

At the end of an emotional day Nicky said. “When you dedicate your life to something and the dream comes true it feels so good. This is a proud day for me, the team and my family. I want to thank everybody back home and I hope they’re partying back there in Owensboro. When I went down at the beginning of the Estoril race I thought the dream was over but I just didn’t give up. Anything can happen in racing and you just keep fighting until the end. I just believe good things happen to good people and this is a great day for me. I swear on the warm-up lap this morning I was riding round in front of a full house here and I had tears in my eyes because I knew this was the chance of a lifetime and I had to go for it. I’ve felt all year that this was my year – even at Estoril when Elias beat Rossi I believed it. I knew that, win or lose, I was going to sleep well tonight because I was gonna give it my all today.

Satoru Horiike, Managing Director of HRC, was quick to praise Nicky he said. “First of all I wish to congratulate Nicky and thank him for bringing the title back to Honda. He rode a good clever race today. I also have to thank Dani because he also did a good job for us today. During the season we had to put in a great effort and had to cope with some problems with the clutch but finally Nicky made it.”

Nicky’s two wins and 10 podiums, combined with his 16/17 points scoring finishes have made him the first American rider since Kenny Roberts JR in 2000 to lift the biggest prize in bikesport.

Nicky’s consistency has been his greatest strength this year. Even when the Repsol Team has struggled to adapt his development Honda RC211V to a certain track, his sheer grit and refusal to yield to circumstance has ensured he has scored points when a lesser rider might have crumbled. Nicky’s competitive urge and the huge amount of experience he has gained over four seasons of premier class racing have finally come together to give the bike-crazy Hayden family it’s first World Champion.

For a kid who started riding when he was three and was telling his dad Earl he wanted to be a World Champion when he was five – this first World crown is the culmination of years of hard graft learning the craft of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Nicky’s dirt-riding skills gave him a head start over most of his rivals when he graduated to riding the big 990cc four-strokes and it was no surprise then that he secured the Rookie Of The Year title in 2003.

But further success then seemed a long time coming. His 2004 season was blighted by injury and it wasn’t until he won his ‘home’ race at Laguna Seca in mid-2005 that belief started to course through his veins. Nicky finished 2005 with four consecutive podium finishes and this was a pattern he would continue in 2006.

Hayden scored four top three finishes in Spain, Qatar, Turkey and China, then dropped to a fifth in France before regaining momentum with wins the Netherlands and again at Laguna Seca. But then success tailed off with a ninth in the Czech Republic, fourth in Malaysia and two fifth places in Australia and Japan.

He had to dig deep to get his title-winning season back on course with just two rounds to go and with only a 12-point lead over his nearest rival Rossi. But when he needed a big performance, he found it when it mattered most…

To dethrone a multiple MotoGP title winner in Rossi is a towering achievement and to do it while developing a second generation RCV machine for Honda puts Hayden’s 2006 performance among the best yet seen in the four-stroke era. This was one of the closest title contests in years with an ebb and flow to it that has gripped race fans for seven tense months.

Nicky is no stranger to winning, but now he has a World title to add to a string of American Championships. It’s taken this former US flat-tracker four years to fulfil a dream, and this success is without doubt the sweetest yet tasted for Nicky.

The approachable, amiable and supremely able rider formerly known as ‘Mr Dirt’ for his success on the cinders can now formally call himself ‘Mr MotoGP 2006’.







Nicky Hayden - 2006 MotoGP World Champion

Biography - Sunday 29th October

Born in Kentucky and from a family with a strong name in US racing, the 2002 AMA Superbike Champion was a wanted man with various teams at only 21 years of age but took the hottest seat in the paddock next to the reigning World Champion, jumping straight into the MotoGP deep-end as team-mate to Valentino Rossi in the Repsol Honda factory team. The friendly and happy-go-lucky American took some time to find his feet but towards the end of his debut campaign began to show his potential with some electrifying race performances and two podiums in the last four GPs lifting him to an excellent fifth overall.

Hayden scored two consecutive podiums in Brazil and Germany in 2004, but his lack of consistency saw him ending up in eighth position overall. In 2005 his move to become official HRC rider coincided with the return of the World Championship to Laguna Seca. Hayden didn't squander the opportunity and led the race from start to finish to earn himself his first MotoGP victory. After that brilliant triumph he assumed a much more active role in the Championship. In the following nine Grands Prix he stepped onto the podium on five occasions and closed the season in third position overall.

In 2006, Hayden quickly got into the stride of the championship, taking seven podiums in the first eight races. The seventh of these was his first victory outside of the US, when he took advantage of a crash on the final lap to snatch the win. He soon was winning again at home once more, and looked on course for his first World Championship. The major blow came however in round 16 in Estoril when his team-mate Pedrosa collided with him and left him eight points behind Rossi. However Hayden came back strong and the 16 points in the final round coupled with Rossi’s crash mean Hayden fulfilled his lifelong dream of success on an international scale in motorcycling’s elite event.



Birth date: 30/07/1981 (25 years)
Birth place: Owensboro, Kentucky (USA)
First Grand Prix: 2003 JPN MotoGP
First Pole Position: 2005 USA MotoGP
First Podium: 2003 MOT MotoGP
First GP Victory: 2005 USA MotoGP
Grand Prix Starts: 65
Grand Prix Victories: 3
Podiums: 20
Pole Positions: 4
Race Fastest Lap: 4
World Championship Win: 1 - 2006 250cc
Total Points 2006: 252

*all data correct at 10/29/2006


MotoGP Career

2003: MotoGP World Championship, 5th position, Repsol Honda, Honda - 16 starts, 130 points
2004: MotoGP World Championship, 8th position, Repsol Honda Team, Honda - 15 starts, 117 points
2005: MotoGP World Championship, 3rd position, Repsol Honda Team, Honda - 17 starts, 206 points
2006: MotoGP World Championship, 1st position, Repsol Honda Team, Honda - 17 starts, 252 points



Some facts about Hayden's achievement

- With the rules changing for next year Nicky Hayden goes into the record books as the only rider other than Rossi to win a title riding a 990cc four-stroke MotoGP bike.

- Nicky Hayden is the seventh rider from the USA to win the premier-class title, joining: Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz, and Kenny Roberts Jnr.

- He is only the second rider to have won the title having arrived at the final race of the year not leading the points table. The previous occasion was 1992 when Wayne Rainey arrived at the final race two points behind Mick Doohan who was still far from fully fit following a crash earlier in the year at Assen.

- He is the first rider since Mick Doohan to have won the premier-class title having not previously raced in the 250cc class of Grand Prix racing.





Honda (main release)

HONDA RACING INFORMATION
Grand Prix of Valencia
Sunday October 29, 2006

HAYDEN TAKES TITLE AS PRESSURE TELLS ON ROSSI:

One of the closest MotoGP title fights ended in victory for Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) here at Valencia today as the American cruised home in third behind Ducati riders Troy Bayliss (winner) and second-placed Loris Capirossi. It was enough for the Kentucky Kid to end the reign of Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who fell on lap five.

The tension was palpable as this all-or-nothing 30-lap contest got underway in front of a capacity 130,000 crowd in bright sunshine with a hotter than expected 43-degree track temperature and a 32-degree ambient temperature.
The scene was set for an epic World Championship decider.

Bayliss led into turn one from the lights with his team-mate Capirossi tucked close behind him and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) third. But further back Hayden, who'd sped away from slot five on the grid clouted Rossi who'd had made a sluggish getaway from pole. Hayden lay sixth at turn one on lap one.

Nicky, in the space of three turns was fourth, Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V) deprived Rossi of sixth, and Dani was then in second after stealing past Capirossi. There was plenty of intent from Honda riders intent on maximizing their own chances of end of season glory. Melandri was vying for third in the World Championship with Capirossi.

The opening laps were a hard-fought demonstration of what makes MotoGP such a compelling sport. Nicky went to third on lap two, then almost snatched the lead from Bayliss at the end of the straight on lap four, with Melandri now third. Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki) was working on Rossi for sixth. Rossi was perhaps biding his time, waiting to establish a rhythm, before making progress up the field shadowing the flying Hayden.

Hayden, for what it was worth, had changed the design of his leathers for this all-or-nothing race. Gone was the Kentucky Kid logo across the seat of the suit in favour of a deck of cards with the facing card a question mark - and a stack of gambling chips, with the slogan 'All In' laid over the top. He was riding all out - no question.

On lap five, the lap that decided the direction of the 2006 World MotoGP Championship, Nicky lay 0.3 seconds behind the inspired Troy Bayliss. And as Rossi hit the mid-point of the left-hand turn one, his machine slid from under him. The Italian and his Yamaha ended in the dirt, his title chances effectively over. He remounted in 20th place with a mountain to climb.

The order was Bayliss, Capirossi, Hayden, Melandri, Pedrosa, Stoner and Vermeulen. Rossi had too much to do and as long as Hayden could maintain station in third while Rossi lay lower than eighth, he could, against all pre-race odds lay claim to the title in a series in which he had scored in every round and won two races.

As mid-race rolled by Rossi had climbed to 16th, but he was a full 28 seconds behind race leader Bayliss. Then Vermeulen crashed and the thought loomed that sheer attrition might gift Rossi the places he needed to eat into Hayden's chances.

As the laps ran down to the flag Hayden hung close to Capirossi ready to steal a place on the Italian if he needed to, but then as it became clear Rossi had too much to do, Nicky merely reeled off the laps he needed to clinch the biggest prize on two wheels.

With three laps to go Rossi was nine seconds shy of Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) in 12th and barring cruel luck the crown was Nicky's. Sure enough Mister Consistency, the 'All-in' Kentucky Kid, was not going to throw away a lifetime's dream and the product of four hard years dedicated to this particular task. Mister World Champion is who he now undoubtedly is.

Finishing with 252 points to Rossi's 247, Nicky said, "I'm so blessed. When you dedicate your life to something and it comes true it means so much. I have to thank the people around me who never stopped believing: Honda, my team, Michelin, my friends and family. It just goes to show when you keep fighting to the end and never give up then good things happen to you. I can't really say just how much this means to me right now."

Dani, who finished fourth, said, "I'm very happy for this result - for myself, for Nicky and for the team. The team has won every title this year - the riders' title, the constructors, the Team title and the Rookie of the year so this is very good for us. I think we did a good job today. I made a good start and I was waiting until Nicky was behind me. When they showed me that Nicky was third and I was second I let him past and showed him with my foot where he should pass me. Then I slowed down quite a lot to give Nicky some space in second place. I didn't push for the last five laps and brought it home."

Melandri in fifth, and fourth overall, said, "I'm disappointed to have lost third in the championship by a single point. I had a good feeling with the bike and I was sure I would have a good race. I was really fast over the first few laps but when the tyres heated up, it got tough. I was racing hard because I wanted third in the championship and I put a lot of stress on the left of the tyre. I couldn't ride as I wanted to and just had to focus on finishing the race as high as possible. My compliments to Nicky, he was great, well done."

His team-mate Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V), sixth, said, "I am happy because I made a good comeback from 13th to sixth. At the start I found it tough but as the laps went by I got a good rhythm together. I made a mistake on the 20th lap but other than that I am satisfied. I have to thank my team, Fausto Gresini, my chief mechanic Cecchini and all the guys. And my compliments too to Nicky Hayden for the title."

Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) was eighth. He said, "I'd like to congratulate Nicky, and I feel for Valentino. Nicky and I have the same language, and we talk, but I'm also close to Valentino - we've worked with the riders' safety committee for five years. He's a champion whether he wins or loses... we all know that. He's going to come back strong next year. Nicky rode well all year, and consistently, and he deserves to be up there to win the championship. So it was a fun year, and we look forward to improving."

Tamada, 12th, said, "For this race I could not get a good qualifying time and had to start from the fifth row. It was a difficult race today. I didn't get a good start and I didn't have good grip from the front or rear tyres. This was my last race for the Konica Minolta Honda team and I wanted a good result, so 12th place is very disappointing. I just wish to thank all the people in the Konica Minolta team who have helped me during my stay with the team and also all our sponsors."

Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) crashed out on lap 25. He said, "Today I really wanted to get a nice result for myself and the LCR team. But it's strange, I don't know what is happening - so many times recently we are fast in practice and have the perfect race set-up, the perfect tyre and then the bike feels nothing like it does in practice. Today it just wouldn't turn like it did in practice. I'm really disappointed, after everything was so sweet at the start of the season. But I want give a big thanks to the whole LCR team who gave me this opportunity and stuck with me this year."





BadWeB comment: It's interesting that neither Dorna nor Honda/HRC/Repsol reported Nicky's entire post race commentary; Nicky closed out his short commentary by giving thanks to "the Lord."




2006 Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) MotoGP Championship Schedule:

2006 FIM MotoGP World Championship Series
Date
(mm/dd-dd)
Location
(City, Country)
03/24-26 Jerez, Spain
04/06-08 Doha, Qatar
04/28-30 Istanbul, Turkey
05/12-14 Shanghai, China
05/19-21 Le Mans, France
06/02-04 Mugello, Italy
06/16-18 Catalunya, Spain
06/22-24 Assen, Netherlands
06/31-07/02 Donington Park, Great Britain
07/14-16 Sachsenring, Germany
07/21-23 Laguna Seca, United States
08/18-20 Brno, Czech Republic
09/08-10 Sepang, Malaysia
09/15-17 Phillip Island, Australia
09/22-24 Motegi, Japan
10/13-15 Estoril, Portugal
10/27-29 Valencia, Spain




2006 FIM MotoGP Championship Final Results and Information:
Champ.
Finish
Name
(LAST First)
MotoGP #
Nationality
Birthday
Age
Champ.
Points
Team
Motorcycle
1
HAYDEN Nicky
69
USA
30-Jul-81
25
252
Repsol Honda
Honda
2
ROSSI Valentino
46
ITA
16-Feb-79
27
247
Camel Yamaha
Yamaha
3
CAPIROSSI Loris
65
ITA
04-Apr-73
33
229
Ducati Marlboro
Ducati
4
MELANDRI Marco
33
ITA
07-Aug-82
24
228
Fortuna Honda
Honda
5
PEDROSA Dani
26
SPA
29-Sep-85
21
215
Repsol Honda
Honda
6
ROBERTS Kenny Jr.
10
USA
25-Jul-73
33
134
Team Roberts
KR211V
7
EDWARDS Colin
5
USA
27-Feb-74
32
124
Camel Yamaha
Yamaha
8
STONER Casey
27
AUS
16-Oct-85
21
119
LCR HONDA
Honda
9
ELIAS Toni
24
SPA
26-Mar-83
23
116
Fortuna Honda
Honda
10
HOPKINS John
21
USA
22-May-83
23
116
Rizla Suzuki
Suzuki
11
VERMEULEN Chris
71
AUS
19-Jun-82
24
98
Rizla Suzuki
Suzuki
12
TAMADA Makoto
6
JPN
04-Nov-76
29
96
Konica Minolta Honda
Honda
13
GIBERNAU Sete
15
SPA
15-Dec-72
33
95
Ducati Marlboro
Ducati
14
NAKANO Shinya
56
JPN
10-Oct-77
29
92
Kawasaki Racing
Kawasaki
15
CHECA Carlos
7
SPA
15-Oct-72
34
75
Tech 3 Yamaha
Yamaha
16
DE PUNIET Randy
17
FRA
14-Feb-81
25
37
Kawasaki Racing
Kawasaki
17
HOFMANN Alex
66
GER
25-May-80
26
30
Pramac d'Antín
Ducati
18
ELLISON James
77
GBR
19-Sep-80
26
26
Tech 3 Yamaha
Yamaha
19
BAYLISS Troy
12
AUS
30-Mar-69
37
25
Ducati Marlboro
Ducati
20
CARDOSO Jose Luis
30
SPA
02-Feb-75
31
10
Pramac d'Antín
Ducati
21
AKIYOSHI Kousuke
64
JPN
12-Jan-75
31
3
Team Suzuki MotoGP
Suzuki
22
McCOY Garry
8
AUS
18-Apr-72
34
2
Ilmor SRT
Ilmor


For additional MotoGP info, call FIM 011-41-22-950-9500, FAX 011-41-22-950-9501, or visit www.MotoGP.com.

For more information about Nicky hayden see www.NickyHayden.com.



For official business or to contact Nicky Hayden see http://www.nickyhayden.com/site/contactus.php.



For Nicky Hayden's Official Media Relations:

Steve Dicterow
International Racers, Inc.
1-949-910-1112
steve@nickyhayden.com (official business only)

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Blake
Posted on Monday, October 30, 2006 - 01:17 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

MotoGP Valencia Race

Report - All In

Posted on Sunday, October 29, 2006 10:17 PM

Nicky Hayden arrived at Valencia with some new artwork on his bike and his leathers. The left-hand side of his fairing depicted a hand of five cards: the ten, jack, queen and king of diamonds, and one more card face down. Besides the cards was a large pile of poker chips, and the words "All In ...". No clearer indication of Hayden's intent could be imaginable: After the fiasco at Estoril, where Hayden's championship hopes were all but terminated by his team mate, the only course of action the Kentucky Kid had open to him was to gamble everything on getting to the front, and trying to win the race. Conceding an 8-point lead to the 5-time and reigning MotoGP world champion, and the man almost universally acclaimed as the greatest motorcycle racer of all time, reclaiming the lead and taking the title seemed a nigh impossible task. But, as Hayden kept insisting to the press each time he was interviewed: "This is MotoGP, anything can happen. That's why we line up." Anything can happen. And sometimes, it does.


Grid Nerves

As the bikes sat the on the grid, waiting for the red lights to dim, Hayden's position did not look promising. Sat in 5th place on the second row, with a run of poor starts over the second half of the season and Valentino Rossi on record-breaking pole time, the Kentucky Kid had it all to do. Not only did he have to try and get past Rossi, but he had to pass a horde of red Ducatis to get there. Valentino Rossi's job, on the other hand, seemed simple: try to stay as close to the front as possible, and don't let Hayden out of his sight. Both men sat on the grid with the weight of the world's, and, infinitely heavier, their own expectations on their shoulders. Once the red lights dimmed, their mettle would be tested as never before.

Though pole position conveys a distinct advantage, it is not a free pass to lead the race. As the red lights faded, Valentino Rossi's pole advantage vanished. The Doctor fluffed his start, wheelying the bike off the line, and losing a couple of places from the start. And worse, he started drifting left, just as Nicky Hayden was charging through, having gotten off the line well. The two title candidates touched for an instant, then drifted apart again, before entering the first corner melee. The championship came very close to being settled by yet another crash before the bikes had even reached the first turn. But both men recovered, and bashed fairings again into turn 1.


Rocket Man

While Valentino Rossi had gotten off to a poor start, Troy Bayliss, the man substituting for Sete Gibernau, had not. The Australian World Superbike champion had made a Baylisstic start, leading into turn 1 and making a charge from the line. Bayliss' temporary team mate Loris Capirossi headed the following pack, leading Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden through the first couple of turns. Rossi, recovering slowly, followed in 6th. The chase was close, and into turn 4, Pedrosa was past Capirossi, and off after Bayliss. Two turns later, Nicky Hayden followed Pedrosa's lead, passing Casey Stoner to take 4th, and moving on to Capirossi's tail. Behind Stoner, Valentino Rossi was being harassed by an unleashed Marco Melandri, storming through from a terrible 12th spot on the grid. Into turn 8, Melandri was past, leaving Rossi languishing down in 7th.

As the pack flashed across the line at the end of the first lap, Valentino Rossi found himself in the worst possible situation: down the field, with a gaggle of Hondas ahead of him. Though Honda had again denied the existence of team orders, it was clear that words had been exchanged in private, and that even the non-Repsol Honda teams would be careful when riding near Hayden, and do everything in their power to keep Rossi behind them.

Rossi's one consolation was that Hayden was then in 4th, which would leave the American 5 points short for the title while Rossi held 7th. But Hayden wanted more: After having a look at Capirossi at the end of the main straight, Hayden slipped up the inside of the Ducati man into turn 6, and headed off to chase Pedrosa. 6 turns later, Capirossi lost another place, as Marco Melandri moved up to 4th. With Hayden in 3rd, Rossi still clung on to the championship lead while he ran in 7th. But Hayden had his team mate ahead of him in 2nd.


Making Up Is Hard To Do

For any other team, at any other race, this would be a perfect situation. For Repsol Honda, after the events at Estoril, no one was certain. Hayden closed on Pedrosa as they two team mates hurtled down the main straight to start lap 3. Hayden was within inches of the tiny Spaniard, but not close enough to draft past into turn 1. He would have to bide his time, and hope to find spot to safely pass his team mate. But Pedrosa had other ideas: The public outcry around the world at his incomprehensible move at Estoril had been noted and understood, and in an act of penance for Portugal, Pedrosa pulled over on the short straight between turn 1 and turn 2, and waved Hayden through with his leg. Pedrosa left the door wide open into turn 2, slamming it firmly shut once Hayden had passed. Hayden had gone from trailing the championship race, to leading it, and the man who had just helped him was the man who had made his life so difficult in the first place.

Pedrosa's work was not yet done, however. Once Hayden was past, the diminutive Spaniard set about making himself as wide as possible, and holding up Melandri, charging from behind. The Italian Fortuna Honda rider had been less than half a second behind Hayden at the end of lap 2. Thanks to some strong defense by Pedrosa, Hayden had 3/4 of a second on Melandri at the end of lap 3. With Hayden in 2nd, and leading the title race, the ball was now firmly in Valentino Rossi's court.

In previous years, Valencia has been a breeze for The Doctor. Usually having wrapped up the title several rounds earlier, Rossi had never had to fight at this track with any more than just another GP win at stake. Not this race. Rossi was now in serious danger of losing his title in a straight fight, and the pressure was starting to build. What's more, where The Doctor usually carves through the field at will, at Ricardo Tormo he was stuck behind Casey Stoner, and unable to pass. To make things worse, Chris Vermeulen was right behind him on the Rizla Suzuki, and starting to push. Lap 3 passed without Rossi find a way past Stoner, then lap 4 as well. At the start of lap 5, while Rossi fell slowly further behind Nicky Hayden, the pressure finally got to The Doctor.


Merely Mortal

As he entered turn 2, close on the heels of Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi's bike slid out from under him, for no apparent reason. The front held, but the rear just started to slide, lowsiding Rossi into the gravel. Yet, even in adversity, Rossi's legendary luck held; his Yamaha M1 had not cut out, and, because of the low speed of the crash, had not suffered major damage. Rossi could remount and continue the chase. This time, however, the fates had only spared Rossi to punish him more fully. Though he rejoined the race, he lost over 20 seconds in the crash, and crossed the line to finish lap 5 in 20th and last place. With Hayden running in 2nd, Valentino Rossi would have to pass 16 other riders to retain his title. At any track, that would be hard; at one of the toughest passing tracks on the calendar, it was close to impossible. The only glimmer of hope was that there was still 25 laps to go, and plenty of time.

Back among the leaders, both Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi had managed to get back past Pedrosa. On the same lap, Nicky Hayden had gotten within a tenth of a second of leader Troy Bayliss. But as he flashed past the finish line, his pit board broke his concentration. It said simply: "Rossi P20". Hayden's pace dropped for the next couple of laps as he absorbed the news, and pondered his next course of action. This minor lapse allowed Melandri and Capirossi to close Hayden down.

For the two Italians were engaged in a battle of their own: Although the first two places in the championship were out of reach, both men had declared their determination to take 3rd. Melandri had the advantage, but with 6 points in it, it was there for either rider to take. Capirossi's motivation won out on lap 7, as he slipstreamed past Melandri into turn 1. Closing on Hayden, a lap later, he was past the American and into 2nd. With the difference between 2nd and 4th being 7 points, Capirossi had seized back the advantage.

Being passed by Capirossi's spurred Hayden back into action. A 2nd place would give the Kentucky Kid an almost insuperable 12 point advantage over Rossi. But 3rd meant he only led Rossi by 8 points. Even The Doctor could not be expected to climb from 20th to 4th, but getting to 8th is a far less challenging proposition. Difficult, but not impossible.


Long Way Home

Rossi's fight back had been helped on the same lap as his own fall by Randy de Puniet crashing out. On lap 9, Rossi passed Garry McCoy on the Ilmor to move to 18th, and a lap later he was past James Ellison to move to 17th, then 16th, as Alex Hofmann crashed out. He had regained 4 places in 5 laps, with 20 laps to go. But The Doctor still had a long way to go: he was 21 seconds down on the 8th place he needed, but was lapping only a couple of tenths faster than the people he needed to get past. At this rate, the race wouldn't last long enough for him to fight his way to 8th.

His only hope was that others would help him by taking themselves out. For a while, on lap 12, it looked like that might happen, as Melandri, Pedrosa and Stoner tussled for 4th. Then, Jose Luis Cardoso and Chris Vermeulen pitched into help, by crashing out. Rossi was up to 14th, and on the move. But he was 14 seconds behind Makoto Tamada, the next man in front of him, and nearly 20 seconds behind John Hopkins in 8th. With half the race gone, his mission was looking increasingly impossible. Taking 1.5 seconds a lap off John Hopkins was too much to ask, even of the great Valentino Rossi, and his title hopes faded as each lap passed.

Rossi's misfortune left Nicky Hayden in a quandary: He'd come to Valencia to win, believing it to be his only shot at the title. He was still set on that goal, but it had become unnecessary. He was riding aggressively, and closing on Capirossi, but the need for that aggression had disappeared. If he just stayed focused and brought it home, the title would be his. With a gap of over 3 seconds and growing to 4th place, he could afford to start hedging his bets. "All In..." was surplus to requirements.

As Hayden dropped off the back of Capirossi, the Italian set his sights on his Ducati team mate. To have a rider come in to substitute for an injured team mate, take a spot ahead of you in qualifying, and then beat you in the race seems downright humiliating. That humiliation is tempered somewhat when the substitute is Troy Bayliss: Reigning World Superbike champion, and MotoGP works Ducati rider in 2003 and 2004, he was no stranger to the Desmosedici, and anything he might have forgotten, he had relearned very quickly. As the lap counter clicked down towards the end of the race, Capirossi closed, but never enough. When the checkered flag fell, it fell on Troy Bayliss first.


Second String

Bayliss had put the icing on the cake of his year. Capping a great season in Superbikes, he put on a stellar performance at Valencia to lead the MotoGP race from start to finish. Winning a MotoGP race is incredibly hard; to do it in your spare time, and as an afterthought, is an incredible feat.

Ducati's joy was further increased by Loris Capirossi taking 2nd, at the same time taking enough points from Marco Melandri to climb to 3rd in the championship. But the greatest joy was reserved for the new World Champion. Nicky Hayden crossed the line in 3rd, taking 16 points to clinch the win, under the gaze of his family. Both Earl and Rose had been lucky to keep all their fingers; as the laps ticked off, their fingers had been crossed in ever tighter constriction. If the race had lasted much longer, either amputation or broken digits would have ensued.

Hayden's Repsol Honda team mate Dani Pedrosa crossed the line in 4th, his sins entirely forgiven after his fine display of teamwork. Pedrosa led two other team mates home, Fortuna Honda's Marco Melandri and Toni Elias. Behind Elias, Shinya Nakano finished his final outing on the Kawasaki in 7th, ahead of Kenny Roberts Jr and Colin Edwards.

Carlos Checa finished his last ride on the Tech 3 Yamaha with a strong 10th place, ahead of the final American John Hopkins, and Checa's replacement at Tech 3 next year Makoto Tamada. Valentino Rossi had closed Tamada's lead down from 14 to under 9 seconds to finish 13th, ahead of James Ellison and Garry McCoy, taking the final point on the Ilmor.


Conquering Hero

As the riders circulated on their cool down lap, two little vignettes illustrated perfectly the changes that had taken place here. First, Dani Pedrosa approached Nicky Hayden, and Hayden pounded him on the shoulders like a long lost son. His work had been noted, and he had not been found wanting. The atmosphere in the Repsol Honda garage next year will hardly be warm and friendly, but it won't be as close to absolute zero as it appears to have been over the weekend.

Shortly afterwards, the outgoing champion slowed, grabbed Hayden's arm, and congratulated him. After losing the title in such devastating fashion, to accept defeat with such grace is the sign of a great champion, and a great man. Hayden seemed genuinely touched, and accepted Rossi's congratulations with equal grace. This image, I believe, characterizes this season: two riders, who have fought each other hard at every turn, but never wavered from their desire to win this fairly, cleanly and beyond reproach. Past seasons, with other adversaries, have been very different.


The Once And Future King

A lot of things changed today. Valentino Rossi's incredible record run came to an end. He'll have to ride, and win, another 6 seasons to pass Mick Doohan's sequence of 5 championships in a row. He'll have to race another 8 if he is to pass Giacomo Agostini's record of 7 titles in a row. For the first time in a very long time, Rossi seemed to be merely mortal, buckling under pressure. In an interview after the race, Rossi said that the crash was his fault, the result of a mistake he made himself. Rossi's errors are rare as hen's teeth, and to lose the championship like this means that his veneer of invincibility has been broken. People, and more importantly, teams and riders, have seen he can be beaten, and they'll be back next year to try it again. Rossi remains a legend, but his feet just got a little closer to the ground.

As for Nicky Hayden, this title is the culmination of his hopes and dreams. He and his family have been working for this moment virtually since before Nicky Hayden was born. His parents, Earl and Rose, spent money on taking the kids racing, rather than fix the roof of their house, in an effort to raise champions. To see Hayden win a MotoGP title is the crowning moment of their lives.

But Hayden's title has been won more by hard work and endurance, rather than flashes of brilliance. He has been a paragon of consistency, plugging away race after race, getting points at every turn, but winning very little. This has been at the heart of the criticism aimed at Hayden all year long. Other riders have, of course, won championships taking only 2 wins. But the last time it happened was in 1952, when Umberto Masetti took the world title after a series of 8 races. Hayden had to ride 17 to garner his two wins.


All In

All this, of course, will matter little to Nicky Hayden. He gets to kick off the new era of 800cc machines with the number 1 plate on his bike. And, with Honda's record of building winning machines each time the rules change, it must be a safe bet that Hayden could take the title again in 2007. All In!


From: http://blogger.xs4all.nl/daisy/archive/2006/10/29/ 142173.aspx?Pending=true

(Message edited by Blake on October 30, 2006)
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Blake
Posted on Monday, October 30, 2006 - 06:34 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Despite the jerk Adams, I'm sold as a fan of the reporting at www.superbikeplanet.com. Really great stuff!

Ryder Notes: Nicky Hayden, 2006 MotoGP World Champion
by julian ryder, on the ground in spain
Sunday, October 29, 2006

'I've always believed,' said Nicky after the race, in a room crowded with journalists and TV cameras, 'that good things happen to good people.' The round of applause went on for a long time.

A hundred yards away Valentino Rossi, whose chances of an eighth title slipped away when he lost the front at turn two, was offering a similar opinion. 'Nicky is my personal favorite (if I don't win!); he's a great guy as well as a great rider. This is not easy in this paddock. I like him, I like his family. His father came to my motorhome after Portugal to congratulate me—after Portugal....! Fack! 'He deserves to be World Champion.'

The milk of human kindness was also flowing inside the Repsol pit. Nicky said several times that he is 'cool' with Dani Pedrosa. The Spaniard told him on Saturday night that he wouldn't race him and in the race 'left the door wide open for me.' Dani also made a very public point, when the TV cameras were in the pit before the sighting lap, of crossing over to Nicky to shake his hand and wish him good luck.

When Nicky got the signal telling him that Valentino was back in twentieth place he thought 'oh boy' and contemplated attacking the Ducatis in front of him. A '3rd OK' signal from his crew persuaded him to play safe. That left an astounding Troy Bayliss to fight off his team-mate—although Loris didn't seem too upset. His third place meant he took third place in the championship by one point from Marco Melandri. It was Ducati's first ever one-two finish in MotoGP. Just to make Troy's day perfect, it was also his wedding anniversary today.

Nicky has always harbored a feeling that he is an outsider in this paddock. 'It's me and Squirrel against the world,' he's been telling his dad. Nicky explained that following Rossi down pit lane in Sepang and seeing all the 125 and 250 mechanics come out of their garages to congratulate Valentino is one of the images that reinforced that feeling. The wave of sympathy that came his way after Estoril seemed to quite surprise him. He should be in no doubt. Nicky and his family did not come up through 250 GPs (the last champion to avoid the 250s was Doohan) but the GP paddock has really taken to the Haydens in general and Nicky in particular.

It may sometimes be a little difficult for Europeans, especially the non English speakers, to get to grips with the Owensboro, Kentucky way of expressing yourself. They may not fully understand the dialect or the accent, but they know a good person when they see one.


From: http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2006/Oct/061029k.ht m
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Blake
Posted on Monday, October 30, 2006 - 06:35 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Nick Hayden Joins An Elite Group
Premier Class Roll-Call Of Champions
by staff
Monday, October 30, 2006
Hayden On Top Of The World

Nicky Hayden yesterday became world champion in the MotoGP class of motorcycle road-racing and in doing so joined an elite group of riders that have stood on top of the world.

The Repsol Honda pilot became the seventh American rider to take the premier class title following the likes of Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey.

Here is a complete list of champions from 1949 to 2006 from the 500cc/MotoGP category:

2006 -- Nicky Hayden -- USA -- Honda
2005 -- Valentino Rossi -- Italy -- Yamaha
2004 -- Valentino Rossi -- Italy -- Yamaha
2003 -- Valentino Rossi -- Italy -- Honda
2002 -- Valentino Rossi -- Italy -- Honda
2001 -- Valentino Rossi -- Italy -- Honda
2000 -- Kenny Roberts Jnr -- USA -- Suzuki
1999 -- Alex Criville -- Spain -- Honda
1998 -- Mick Doohan -- Australia -- Honda
1997 -- Mick Doohan -- Australia -- Honda
1996 -- Mick Doohan -- Australia -- Honda
1995 -- Mick Doohan -- Australia -- Honda
1994 -- Mick Doohan -- Australia -- Honda
1993 -- Kevin Schwantz -- USA -- Suzuki
1992 -- Wayne Rainey -- USA -- Yamaha
1991 -- Wayne Rainey -- USA -- Yamaha
1990 -- Wayne Rainey -- USA -- Yamaha
1989 -- Eddie Lawson -- USA -- Honda
1988 -- Eddie Lawson -- USA -- Yamaha
1987 -- Wayne Gardner -- Australia -- Honda
1986 -- Eddie Lawson -- USA -- Yamaha
1985 -- Freddie Spencer -- USA -- Honda
1984 -- Eddie Lawson -- USA -- Yamaha
1983 -- Freddie Spencer -- USA -- Honda
1982 -- Franco Uncini -- Italy -- Suzuki
1981 -- Marco Lucchinelli -- Italy -- Suzuki
1980 -- Kenny Roberts -- USA -- Yamaha
1979 -- Kenny Roberts -- USA -- Yamaha
1978 -- Kenny Roberts -- USA -- Yamaha
1977 -- Barry Sheene -- GBR -- Suzuki
1976 -- Barry Sheene -- GBR -- Suzuki
1975 -- Giacomo Agostini -- Italy -- Yamaha
1974 -- Phil Read -- GBR -- MV Agusta
1973 -- Phil Read -- GBR -- MV Agusta
1972 -- Giacomo Agostini -- Italy -- MV Agusta
1971 -- Giacomo Agostini -- Italy -- MV Agusta
1970 -- Giacomo Agostini -- Italy -- MV Agusta
1969 -- Giacomo Agostini -- Italy -- MV Agusta
1968 -- Giacomo Agostini -- Italy -- MV Agusta
1967 -- Giacomo Agostini -- Italy -- MV Agusta
1966 -- Giacomo Agostini -- Italy -- MV Agusta
1965 -- Mike Hailwood -- GBR -- MV Agusta
1964 -- Mike Hailwood -- GBR -- MV Agusta
1963 -- Mike Hailwood -- GBR -- MV Agusta
1962 -- Mike Hailwood -- GBR -- MV Agusta
1961 -- Gary Hocking -- None -- MV Agusta
1960 -- John Surtees -- GBR -- MV Agusta
1959 -- John Surtees -- GBR -- MV Agusta
1958 -- John Surtees -- GBR -- MV Agusta
1957 -- Libero Liberati -- Italy -- Gilera
1956 -- John Surtees -- GBR -- MV Agusta
1955 -- Geoff Duke -- GBR -- Gilera
1954 -- Geoff Duke -- GBR -- Gilera
1953 -- Geoff Duke -- GBR -- Gilera
1952 -- Umberto Masetti -- Italy -- Gilera
1951 -- Geoff Duke -- GBR -- Norton
1950 -- Umberto Masetti -- Italy -- Gilera
1949 -- Graham Leslie -- GBR -- AJS


From: http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2006/Oct/tb/061030d .htm
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Blake
Posted on Monday, October 30, 2006 - 06:46 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Great photo from www.superbikeplanet.com..



Nicky and Vali

New Champ, Nicky (#69) and 7-time former champ Vali (#46)


(Message edited by Blake on October 30, 2006)
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Blake
Posted on Monday, October 30, 2006 - 06:53 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Very nice photo of the Kentucky Kid gitt'nerdone way over and sideways...

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/2006/mgp/vale ncia/spencer/69aaa.htm

(Message edited by Blake on October 31, 2006)
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Jimidan
Posted on Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - 09:22 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Blake,
Thanks once again for posting all of the good stuff for us.

This is just a part of what makes this not only the best Buell site, but one of the best bike related sites on the web.

jimidan
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