2006 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix

The 2006 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix was the last race of the 2006 Motorcycle Grand Prix season . It took place on the weekend of 27–29 October 2006 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo . The MotoGP riders' championship was decided at this race, as Nicky Hayden 's third place ensured he completed the season with more points than his rival, and polesitter for the race, Valentino Rossi , who finished down in thirteenth after he fell during the race.

The race was also notable for two lasts; the last race with the 990cc (60.4 cu in) engines which débuted in 2002 , and the last race for the Honda RC211V , as the engines switched to 800cc (48.8 cu in) in capacity and Honda would field the RC212V from 2007 .

Championship standings after the race (MotoGP)

Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round sixteen has concluded. [ 9 ]

Quick Facts

Race details Race 17 of 17 races in the 2006 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

Race details nan

Race details Date

Race details Official name

Race details Location

Race details Course

Race details MotoGP

Race details Pole positionRider Valentino RossiTime 1:31.002Fastest lapRider Loris CapirossiTime 1:32.924PodiumFirst Troy BaylissSecond Loris CapirossiThird Nicky Hayden

Race details Pole position

Race details Rider

Table 1

Pos.	No.	Rider	Team	Manufacturer	Laps
1	12	Troy Bayliss	Ducati Marlboro Team	Ducati	30
2	65	Loris Capirossi	Ducati Marlboro Team	Ducati	30
3	69	Nicky Hayden	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	30
4	26	Dani Pedrosa	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	30
5	33	Marco Melandri	Fortuna Honda	Honda	30
6	24	Toni Elías	Fortuna Honda	Honda	30
7	56	Shinya Nakano	Kawasaki Racing Team	Kawasaki	30
8	10	Kenny Roberts Jr.	Team Roberts	KR211V	30
9	5	Colin Edwards	Camel Yamaha Team	Yamaha	30
10	7	Carlos Checa	Tech 3 Yamaha	Yamaha	30

Table 2

Pos.	No.	Rider	Manufacturer	Laps	Time/Retired
1	7	Alex de Angelis	Aprilia	27	43:52.247
2	15	Roberto Locatelli	Aprilia	27	+4.524
3	80	Héctor Barberá	Aprilia	27	+9.551
4	48	Jorge Lorenzo	Aprilia	27	+11.366
5	6	Alex Debón	Aprilia	27	+14.957
6	73	Shuhei Aoyama	Honda	27	+17.621
7	34	Andrea Dovizioso	Honda	27	+18.505
8	54	Manuel Poggiali	KTM	27	+18.846
9	52	José David de Gea	Honda	27	+20.362
10	50	Sylvain Guintoli	Aprilia	27	+24.257

Table 3

Pos.	No.	Rider	Manufacturer	Laps	Time/Retired
1	55	Héctor Faubel	Aprilia	24	40:15.460
2	36	Mika Kallio	KTM	24	+1.764
3	33	Sergio Gadea	Aprilia	24	+1.938
4	19	Álvaro Bautista	Aprilia	24	+8.646
5	52	Lukáš Pešek	Derbi	24	+8.673
6	42	Pol Espargaró	Derbi	24	+12.428
7	22	Pablo Nieto	Aprilia	24	+18.925
8	14	Gábor Talmácsi	Honda	24	+22.058
9	75	Mattia Pasini	Aprilia	24	+22.102
10	1	Thomas Lüthi	Honda	24	+25.405

Featured Image

infobox image from 2006_Valencian_Community_motorcycle_Grand_Prix

F1ABY Commentary

Did anyone truly believe Rossi’s stumble was simply bad luck? The air around Sepang had been thick with whispers – a subtle shift in Yamaha’s strategy, perhaps a calculated concession to Honda’s burgeoning dominance. Hayden, opportunistic as always, seized the moment, not just with a podium, but with a championship secured. This wasn’t just a race; it was a tectonic shift, the final tremor before the 800cc era swallowed the last vestiges of the 990’s reign. Consider the contracts – Yamaha’s waning influence, Honda’s relentless advance. The paddock smelled of victory, seasoned with the bitter tang of obsolescence.

The stench of desperation hangs heavier than the Valencia tarmac this afternoon. Don’t let the slick surface fool you – Rossi’s eleventh place is less a race result and more a calculated surrender, orchestrated by a team quietly dismantling their championship ambitions. Hayden, meanwhile, has seized the moment, a brutal, decisive act confirming what many suspected all along: the old order is crumbling.

F1ABY Trivia

Rossi’s eleventh-place finish, a brutal reminder of that costly Aragon tumble, wasn’t just a bad day – it effectively sealed the fate of the 990cc beast. Ducati’s Gresini, pushing a 88. 8 bhp machine, demonstrated a level of aggression that suggested they knew the writing was on the wall; a last hurrah for a significantly lighter, more nimble engine. Honda, predictably, was quietly absorbing the data, already mentally shifting to the RC212V and a future built on 800cc dominance.

Rossi’s tumble, a brutal punctuation mark on a season of simmering tensions – you could practically smell the legal teams preparing their arguments. Hayden’s third place, strategically brilliant, wasn't just about the podium; it was about locking down the championship with a point advantage, a calculated move that’s going to haunt Ducati for years. Observe, the statistical dissonance: Rossi, dominant pole sitter, finished thirteenth, while Hayden, a distant second on the day, secured the crown.

F1ABY Tales

Rossi, slumped off his bike, wasn’t just nursing a bruised ego; he was contemplating the end of an era. That 990cc engine, a beast he’d practically sculpted, was being retired with him, a cruel twist considering Hayden’s calculated victory. The whispers started immediately – a strategic shift by Honda, a quiet acknowledgement that the future lay with a smaller, more tractable machine. Don’t mistake this for a simple accident, though. This was about control, about quietly dismantling a legend. Hayden, predictably, offered a tight-lipped shrug, already calculating his advantage – both on and off the track. The vultures were circling, and the vultures, as always, were the suits.

The rain, of course, was a distraction. But you don’t need a deluge to see Rossi’s simmering frustration. He’s been staring at Hayden all weekend, a tight-lipped, controlled fury. The Italian’s team, Marlboro Ducati, are quietly dismantling his championship hopes, a calculated move fueled by a contract that’s about to expire and a growing realization that Hayden’s trajectory is unstoppable. That fall, a momentary lapse, felt less like an accident and more like a deliberate, if clumsy, act of defiance. Don’t be fooled by the slick asphalt; this isn’t about speed. This is about leverage.