MotoGP: 4 Times the World Championship was decided in final race of the season

#4 2006 - Nicky Hayden

Nicky Hayden's only world championship came in 2006

Nicky Hayden's 2006 riders' championship is the only MotoGP Championship of his career.

The American started the season strong and headed the championship from race three, edging past the almost-unbeatable Valentino Rossi. Hayden and the Italian had very close and intense battles for the championship throughout the entire season but a crash in the penultimate race of the 2006 season in Portugal virtually handed the title to Yamaha's Rossi.

Going into the final race of the season in Valencia, the American trailed Rossi by eight points and need a miracle to snatch yet another championship from Valentino Rossi.

Starting from the pole position, the Italian endured a poor start which forced him to drop places in the very first lap itself. In desperation to recover lost ground, the Italian rider pushed too hard and crashed on lap 4. However, Rossi recovered and finished the race in the thirteenth place.

Nicky Hayden, on the other hand, had a good start and maintained race pace throughout the Grand Prix to finish the final race of the season in the third place, behind Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi.

That podium ensured that the American rider secured the world championship with 252 points, five points more than his Italian adversary.