03-23-2015, 09:15 AM
I like Nicky Haden. great guy. very positive and upbeat and a great representative for our sport, However, Nicky got really really lucky in 06 and really backed into the championship. Not saying he didn't win it fair and square, because he ended the season with more points than anyone else, but it was such a series of events for him to win it it's almost unfathomable. Rossi and Hayden are good friends and for years I thought Rossi threw it away in the last race so Hayden could win.
7 different riders won races that season, but Rossi won 5 times. Tony Elias won in Portugal beating Rossi by .002 seconds (that's 2/1000's of 1 second) and Rossi loses 5 points. Rossi wins that race and he wins the championship. Rossi had 3 DNF's with mechanical troubles. If he finishes even one of those races in 10 th or higher and he wins the championship. Last race in Valencia, Rossi leads by 8 points going into final race and wins the pole, but falls on lap 5 and finishes 13 th and loses the Championship to Hayden who finished third, by 5 points. Hayden only won 2 races all season, but was pretty consistent with 3 seconds and 5 thirds and his only DNF was in Estoril when he and Dani collided. It really was Rossi's championship to lose, and he managed to do just that.
7 different riders won races that season, but Rossi won 5 times. Tony Elias won in Portugal beating Rossi by .002 seconds (that's 2/1000's of 1 second) and Rossi loses 5 points. Rossi wins that race and he wins the championship. Rossi had 3 DNF's with mechanical troubles. If he finishes even one of those races in 10 th or higher and he wins the championship. Last race in Valencia, Rossi leads by 8 points going into final race and wins the pole, but falls on lap 5 and finishes 13 th and loses the Championship to Hayden who finished third, by 5 points. Hayden only won 2 races all season, but was pretty consistent with 3 seconds and 5 thirds and his only DNF was in Estoril when he and Dani collided. It really was Rossi's championship to lose, and he managed to do just that.