If Pecco Bagnaia wins, he will
match King Kenny's hat trick,
if not quite yet, his stature. But
this championship is not to be
pre-judged. Marquez and Bas
-
tianini might be seeing hopes
fade to mere mathematical
possibilities, but Jorge Martin
is as ready to take the crown as
Pecco is to keep it.
Even single last-gasp de
-
ciders are not exactly com-
mon—21 times out of 75, or 28
percent. This is in spite of sev-
eral different scoring systems.
When it began, only the best
three results from six races
counted, and variations on the
"best of" scheme continued all
the way through to 1976 (six of
nine), with a one-off and never
to be repeated 13 of 15 in 1991.
Barry Sheene won in 1976
and took full advantage of the
system's loophole, not bother
-
A
fter 75 World Champi-
onship years, history
means something in rac-
ing, and history keeps getting
made. Including this year.
With the final flurry of races
in full flow, it looks almost
certain that the title fight will
go to the final round in Valencia
in November. That makes it a
third consecutive last-race cliff-
hanger. A rare event.
Only once since 1949 have
there been three consecutive
last-race deciders. Followed
immediately by another, to make
it four—1978 to 1981. The first
three went to the same rider:
Kenny Roberts, the fourth to
Marco Lucchinelli.
P134
CN IIIN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
LASTGASP
HEROES
It looks like history
will be made
again with another
championship-
deciding final
round—between
these two, Bagnaia
(left) and Martin.
