Everyone will tell you they were at the
2006 MotoGP finale in Valencia, but
Michael Jordan has proof of being there.
It was straight-up 12 o'clock for
Nicky Hayden in 2006.
Let the drama begin.
On the fifth lap of the Portuguese
GP, Nicky trailed the two Yamahas at
the front with Rossi leading Edwards.
At the end of the backstraight, Nicky
was in front of his teammate Pedrosa.
Then all hell broke loose. The Spaniard
tried an inside pass on Hayden, lost the
front end and crashed, taking his World
Championship-leading teammate with
him. The points lead was gone. And it
was the hardest man in the business who
suddenly had it – Valentino Rossi.
As a good Catholic young man, Nicky
Hayden wasn't much for cussing. He also
wasn't one who angered easy. On the after
-
noon of October 16 of 2006, Nicky was angry
and may have snuck in a cuss word. Or two.
In what would prove to be a fantastic
finish to a dramatic race, Spaniard Toni Elias
did Hayden a solid by beating Rossi to the
line by .002 of a second, costing Rossi five
valuable points. It was Elias' first and only
MotoGP victory.
The ups and downs of the 2006 season
concluded at the Valencia Grand Prix. It
started with a bit of elbows-out racing
between Hayden and Rossi on the opening
lap, but there was no harm, no foul.
On the fifth lap, in turn two, it all came apart
for Rossi as he crashed the Yamaha. Game
over? Not so fast, Nicky still had to finish the
job. And finish he did, racing near the front for
20 laps before gradually dropping back to a
secure third behind first-time GP winner Troy
Bayliss and Ducati teammate Loris Capirossi.
Rossi, meanwhile, had remounted to score
three points for finishing 13th.
Nicky Hayden was the 2006 World
Champion.
CN
Nicky Hayden Nicky Hayden
