Nicky Hayden of Owensboro, Kentucky, took his epic fight with Valentino Rossi all the way to the last race of the 17-round season, and withstood towering pressure at that final showdown while his veteran rival cracked botching the start and crashing after five laps as he pushed to catch Hayden. Hollywood screenwriters could not have scripted a more exciting finale.

Sample pages from the 2006 MotoGP Season Review book.

By that last race the tension had been ratcheted up to an almost unbearable level. With seemingly unstoppable late-season momentum Rossi had relentlessly chipped away at Hayden s earlier lead of 51 points.

Now add to that drama the supporting plot lines of conflicts between teammates, technical problems with bikes, and controversy over how rules were applied,