A look at 11 seasons of MotoGP from 2002 to 2012 – MotoGP Special – Part 1
2002
2002 marked the inauguration of a new class in motorcycle racing. Repsol Honda, Marlboro Yamaha, Suzuki and Aprilia competed in the 2002 MotoGP season introducing their 990cc four-stroke bikes for the first time.
Honda rider, Valentino Rossi was the undisputed champion in the inaugural season of MotoGP. Rossi won the title with 11 victories and 355 championship points, Yamaha rider Max Biaggi being his closest rival having only 215 championship points. Tohru Ukawa,
Rossi’s teammate, finished 3rd in the final rundown and was 6 points behind Biaggi.
Honda won the MotoGP constructors’ championship with 390 constructors’ points.
2003
The following season, Valentino Rossi successfully defended his MotoGP title, winning 9 races and straight podiums throughout the season. 2003 Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island highlighted Rossi’s season because he won the round despite of a 10 seconds
penalty that he was given for passing under a yellow flag.
Rossi’s teammates Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi finished 2nd and 3rd respectively on riders’ championship standings and Honda claimed another MotoGP constructors’ title.
The season was blemished by Daijiro Kato’s death following a crash with a barrier while Kato approached the Casino Triangle. After spending two weeks in coma, the Japanese rider passed away. Following the tragic incident, Suzuka Circuit was removed from
the MotoGP schedule.
2004
In 2004, having won consecutive MotoGP titles for Honda, Valentino Rossi switched to Yamaha. Yet again, for the third consecutive time, Rossi claimed the world champion title, becoming only the second rider, after Eddie Lawson, to have won back-to-back titles
riding for different constructors. Rossi finished the season with 9 victories.
Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi held their positions from the last season in the final rundown. Honda won their third constructors’ championship.
2005
Yet again, for the fourth consecutive season, Valentino Rossi dominated, posting 16 podiums out of 17 rounds. It was yet another comprehensive title victory for the Italian rider, Honda rider Marco Melandri being his closest competitor with only 220 championship
points, a distant 147 points behind the champion. Nicky Hayden finished 3rd in the final rundown, clinching 1 victory and 206 points.
2006
2006 MotoGP season was one of the most exciting seasons to date. A ferocious on-track battle ensued between Honda’s Nicky Hayden and Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, with Hayden trying to claim his first MotoGP and Rossi trying to defend his title for the 5th consecutive
season. It was in the last round of the season, the Valencian Community Grand Prix, when Hayden finally clinched his first championship title with Rossi’s crash, following which Rossi finished 13th, facilitating Hayden’s victory.
An interesting fact to be noted was Rossi winning five rounds as opposed to Hayden winning only two rounds, yet Rossi finished behind Hayden. 2006 MotoGP Championship can rightly be classified as the first championship which was won through consistency.
2006 brought victories for seven different riders which included Nicky Hayden, Valentino Rossi, Loris Capirossi, Marco Melandri, Dani Pedrosa, Toni Elías and Troy Bayliss.
Toni Elías’ victory in Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril was another highlight of the season. Elias won the round with a very minor difference of 0.002 seconds ahead of Rossi. The five championship points that Rossi lost after finishing second in the Portuguese
Grand Prix may well be classified as the deciding factor of the championship because interestingly, the difference between Hayden and Rossi at the end of the championship was 5 points as well.
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