Several Italian newspapers included in their coverage a statement from Premier Romano Prodi (essentially the president of Italy) in which he expressed his appreciation for Rossi's effort in the 2006 season.

Comparing how the respective Italian and American press covered Sunday's championship is interesting and seems to further prove no matter the decade the American mainstream press will never give motorbike racing its due.

Valentino Rossi lost the championship and the Italian press treated it as the national tragedy it most certainly was in Italy. Rossi's defeat and crash were front page news on several Italian newspapers, including the ever-entertaining Gazzetta dello Sport. Italian television featured re-plays of Rossi's crash and had analysis on the same level as Fox does here in the US when North Korea lights one. None other than former F1 driver Michael Schumacher encouraged Rossi not to get discouraged by the loss.

In America, it seems, the mainstream media chose to largely ignore Hayden's triumph. USA Today did a short five-paragraph story on Hayden's championship, but buried it, sans photo, on page eleven of their sports section.

Hayden was a featured guest Sunday night on Dave Despain's Wind Tunell on Speed. Hayden was shown in a taped segment from Valencia.

Several Italian newspapers included in their coverage a statement from Premier Romano Prodi (essentially the president of Italy) in which he expressed his appreciation for Rossi's effort in the 2006 season.