2006 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season Sports season
The 2006 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 58th Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) Road racing World Championship season. The season consisted out of 17 races for the MotoGP class and 16 for the 125cc and 250cc classes, beginning with the Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix on 26 March 2006 and ending with the Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix on 29 October.
Season summary
The 2006 MotoGP season was one of the closest battles in recent years, in which Honda 's Nicky Hayden did not claim the championship from Valentino Rossi until the final race of the year. The victory was Hayden's first and only World Championship . Seven different riders claimed Grand Prix victories including first time winners Dani Pedrosa , Toni Elías and Troy Bayliss . Yamaha 's Valentino Rossi fought back from a 51-point deficit to lead the championship going into the final rounds. Hayden's fortunes took a dip when he was taken out by his teammate Pedrosa at the penultimate round in Portugal , but he bounced back to win the crown when Rossi crashed in the final race at Valencia . Hayden only won two races to Rossi's five, but the Yamaha suffered a number of mechanical issues that led to more retirements, which allowed Hayden to score more podiums. In addition, the surprise win of Elias in Portugal, with a margin of just 0.002 second over Rossi, proved to be a major decider in the championship. Rossi had given up five points in that round, the same amount by which he was behind Hayden in the final standings. Had there been a tie, Rossi would have been crowned World Champion due to more race victories than Hayden.
In the 250cc class, Aprilia 's Jorge Lorenzo won his first championship taking 8 victories. Another Aprilia rider took the 125cc crown with Álvaro Bautista also taking 8 wins.
2006 Grand Prix season calendar
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 2006:[ 1] [ 2]
† = MotoGP class only
†† = Saturday race
Calendar changes
Regulation changes
The following changes are made to the regulation for the 2006 season:[ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6]
Sporting regulations
The rule regarding the interruption of a race via a red flag has been reformed. From the moment the red flag is shown, riders who are not competing actively in the race will not be classified. Once five minutes have passed since the showing of the red flag, all riders who have not reached the pits on board their motorcycles will not be classified.
Rules for licenses have been updated. All Chief Medial Officers (CMO) and Deputy Chief Medical Officers must now be in possession of a license. The license will be valid for a span of three years and be handed out by the FIM.
Criteria and procedure for the obtainment of a CMO license has been updates. Potential candidates should apply via a letter through their FMN to the FIM including their professional and motorsport CV, as well as evidence that the following criteria has been fulfilled:
Be a fully registered and qualified medical practitioner.
Be experienced in the supply of Emergency Medical Care.
Be experienced at motorcycle events and must have been to at least five national events as CMO or Deputy CMO with a confirmation by their FMN.
Have attended and successfully completed a FIM CMO seminar and have taken part in at least one FIM event within the previous two years.
In the 125cc and 250cc classes, rookie riders will now be allowed to compete in other held at circuit in Europe during a season.
These rules were additionally added on 27 June 2006:
Practice restrictions have been put in place for the 125cc and 250cc classes. Contracted teams who profit from a Participation Agreement to participate in the 125cc and 250cc class championships are forbidden to practice with their bikes at any circuit between the 1st of December of one year and the 20th of January of the next year, both dates being inclusive.
Technical regulations
A change has been made regarding fuel tank regulations. In all classes, fuel tanks made out of non-metallic composite materials must be fitted with a fuel cell bladder or have otherwise passed the appropriate FIM test standards.
2006 Grand Prix season results
† = MotoGP class only
†† = Saturday Race
Participants
MotoGP participants
Key
Regular rider
Wildcard rider
Replacement rider
250cc participants
According to the official website: www.motogp.com
Team
Constructor
Motorcycle
Rider
Rounds
Red Bull KTM GP 250
KTM
KTM 250 FRR
4
Hiroshi Aoyama
1–10, 12–17
54
Manuel Poggiali
1–10, 12–17
Master - MVA Aspar Team
Aprilia
Aprilia RSW 250
7
Alex de Angelis
1–10, 12–17
Kiefer-Bos-Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
14
Anthony West
1–10, 12–17
17
Franz Aschenbrenner
6–9
28
Dirk Heidolf
1–5, 10, 12–17
Team Toth
Aprilia
Aprilia RSW 250 LE
15
Roberto Locatelli
1–10, 12–17
Equipe GP De France-Scrab
Aprilia
Aprilia RSW 250 LE
16
Jules Cluzel
1–10, 12–17
50
Sylvain Guintoli
1–10, 12–17
Repsol Honda
Honda
Honda RS250RW
19
Sebastián Porto
1–6
36
Martín Cárdenas
8, 10, 12–14
52
José David de Gea
15–17
73
Shuhei Aoyama
1–10, 12–17
Arie Molenaar Racing
Honda
Honda RS250R
21
Arnaud Vincent
1–8, 10, 12–15
57
Chaz Davies
9
65
Alessandro Brannetti
16–17
Nocable Angaia Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
22
Luca Morelli
1–10, 12–17
Wurth Honda BQR
Honda
Honda RS250R
23
Arturo Tizón
1–10, 12–17
36
Martín Cárdenas
1–7
40
Sinan Sofuoğlu
1, 3
42
Aleix Espargaró
8–10, 12–17
Stop and Go Racing Team
Honda
Honda RS250R
24
Jordi Carchano
1–3
37
Fabricio Perrén
6–10, 12–17
Matteoni Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
25
Alex Baldolini
1–10, 12–17
85
Alessio Palumbo
1–8, 10, 12–17
Humangest Racing Team
Honda
Honda RS250RW
34
Andrea Dovizioso
1–10, 12–17
55
Yuki Takahashi
1–10, 13–17
WTR Blauer USA
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
41
Michele Danese
1–3
24
Jordi Carchano
5–10, 12–17
TicinoHosting Campetella Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
44
Taro Sekiguchi
1, 12–17
57
Chaz Davies
1–5
8
Andrea Ballerini
2–10, 12–17
9
Franco Battaini
6–10
Fortuna Aprilia
Aprilia
Aprilia RSW 250
48
Jorge Lorenzo
1–10, 12–17
80
Héctor Barberá
1–6, 9–10, 12–17
6
Alex Debón
7–8
Aprilia Racing
6
Alex Debón
1, 6, 12, 17
Squadra Corse Metis Gilera
Gilera
Gilera RSW 250 LE
58
Marco Simoncelli
1–10, 12–17
Cardion AB Motoracing
Aprilia
Aprilia RSW 250 LE
96
Jakub Smrž
1–10, 12–17
Castrol GP 250 Racing
Honda
Honda RS250R
17
Franz Aschenbrenner
10
Burning Blood
Honda
Honda RS250R
20
Takumi Takahashi
15
Andalucia Team Mas Andalucia-GFC-Mas
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
31
Álvaro Molina
1, 5, 17
China Zongshen Team
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
32
Joao Fernandes
16
56
Rong Zai Su
13, 16
59
Ho Chi Fung
4, 13, 16
Teng Tools Winona Racing Winona Racing
Honda
Honda RS250R
45
Dan Linfoot
5–7, 9–10, 12, 16–17
Asmv Scaccia
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
47
Marc-Antoine Scaccia
5
Extremadura Junior
Honda
Honda RS250R
53
Santiago Barragán
17
Grillini Racing
Honda
Honda RS250R
57
Chaz Davies
17
65
Alessandro Brannetti
6
Benelli QJ Team of China
Aprilia [ 7]
Aprilia RSV 250
60
Wang Zhu
4
61
Li Zheng Peng
4
Yamaha Tianjian Racing Team
Yamaha
Yamaha TZ 250
62
Huang Shi Zhao
4
63
Xiao Jin
4
VFT Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
64
Omar Menghi
6
Jaap Kingma Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
66
Hans Smees
1
Agesta Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
67
Nicklas Cajback
6, 9–10
DE Arend - Filart Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
68
Randy Gevers
8
Racing Team Twello Jaap Kingma
Honda
Honda RS250R
69
Bram Appelo
8
Amici Racing
Honda
Honda RS250R
70
Raymond Schouten
8
Roelofs Racing Team
Yamaha
Yamaha TZ 250
71
Jan Roelofs
8
DRT Mototech Road Racing
Honda
Honda RS250R
72
David Drieghe
8
BM Groundworks
Yamaha
Yamaha TZ 250
75
Luke Lawrence
9, 12, 16
Dennis Trollope Racing
Yamaha
Yamaha TZ 250
76
Alex Kenchington
9
Danx MotorSport
Yamaha
Yamaha TZ 250
77
Ian Gardner
9
IMT Racing
Honda
Honda RS250R
78
Meik Kevin Minnerop
10
Ewes Racing Team
Aprilia
Aprilia RSV 250
79
Andreas Mårtensson
10
Sramek Racing Promotion
Yamaha
Yamaha TZ 250
82
Michal Filla
12
Klub Racing Team Mayer
Honda
Honda RS250R
83
Jiří Mayer
12
Danish Road Racing Team
Yamaha
Yamaha TZ 250
84
Kenni Aggerholm
12
RT Morinokumasan Sendai
Yamaha
Yamaha TZ 250
86
Ryuji Yokoe
15
Thai Honda Castrol Endurance
Honda
Honda RS250R
87
Ratthapark Wilairot
15
Pro-Tec & Weave
Yamaha
Yamaha TZ 250
88
Youichi Ui
15
Will Access With Plus Myu
Yamaha
Yamaha TZ 250
89
Seijin Oikawa
15
Dydo Miu Racing
Honda
Honda RS250R
93
Kouki Takahashi
15
Key
Regular rider
Wildcard rider
Replacement rider
125cc participants
According to the official website: www.motogp.com
Team
Constructor
Motorcycle
Rider
Rounds
Elit - Caffé Latte
Honda
Honda RS125R
1
Thomas Lüthi
1–10, 12–17
11
Sandro Cortese
1–10, 12–17
SSM Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
6
Joan Olivé
1–10, 12–17
12
Federico Sandi
1–10, 12–17
Malaguti Ajo Corse
Malaguti
Malaguti 125
7
Alexis Masbou
1–8, 10, 12–13
40
Nico Vivarelli
17
71
Tomoyoshi Koyama
1–7, 10, 12–17
73
Kazuya Otani
15–16
90
Hiroaki Kuzuhara
8–9
95
Georg Fröhlich
9
Skilled I.S.P.A. Racing Team
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
8
Lorenzo Zanetti
1–10, 12–17
Red Bull KTM Junior Team
KTM
KTM 125 FRR
9
Michael Ranseder
1–9, 12–17
17
Stefan Bradl
1–10, 12–13
67
Blake Leigh-Smith
14–17
Red Bull KTM GP 125
36
Mika Kallio
1–10, 12–17
54
Randy Krummenacher
9–10
60
Julián Simón
1–7, 12–17
3C Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
10
Ángel Rodríguez
1–10, 12
13
Dino Lombardi
3–10, 12–17
38
Roberto Lacalendola
13–17
Humangest Racing Team
Honda
Honda RS125R
14
Gábor Talmácsi
1–10, 12–17
15
Michele Pirro
13–14
23
Lorenzo Baroni
1–10
49
Kazuma Watanabe
15–17
56
Stefano Musco
12
WTR Blauer USA
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
15
Michele Pirro
2–10, 12
29
Andrea Iannone
13
79
Enrique Jerez
1
90
Hiroaki Kuzuhara
14–17
Valsir Seedorf Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
16
Michele Conti
1–10, 12–17
32
Fabrizio Lai
1–10, 12–17
Derbi Racing
Derbi
Derbi RS 125 R
18
Nicolás Terol
1–10, 12–17
52
Lukáš Pešek
1–10, 12–17
Master - MVA Aspar
Aprilia
Aprilia RSA 125
19
Álvaro Bautista
16–17
Aprilia RS 125 R
1–10, 12–15
21
Mateo Túnez
1–5, 7–10, 12, 16–17
33
Sergio Gadea
1–10, 12–17
55
Héctor Faubel
1–10, 12–17
75
Mattia Pasini
1–10, 12–17
Matteoni Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
20
Roberto Tamburini
1–10, 12–17
Multimedia Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
22
Pablo Nieto
1–10, 12–14, 16–17
25
Dominique Aegerter
16–17
26
Vincent Braillard
1–10, 12–15
35
Raffaele De Rosa
1–10, 12–17
Squadra Corse Metis Gilera
Gilera
Gilera RS 125 R
24
Simone Corsi
1–10, 12–17
TicinoHosting Campetella Junior Team Campetella Racing Junior
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
29
Andrea Iannone
1–10
53
Simone Grotzkyj
1–10, 12–17
Derbi
Derbi RS 125 R
42
Pol Espargaró
12–17
Honda BQR Würth Honda BQR
Honda
Honda RS125R
34
Esteve Rabat
8–10, 12–17
41
Aleix Espargaró
1–7
80
Esteve Rabat
1, 7
Arie Molenaar Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
37
Joey Litjens
1–10, 12–17
Repsol Honda
Honda
Honda RS125R
38
Bradley Smith
1–10, 12, 14–17
39
Danny Webb
7
Nocable Angaia Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
43
Manuel Hernández
1
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
2–10, 12–17
Cardion AB Motoracing
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
44
Karel Abraham
1–10, 12–17
Team Tóth
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
45
Imre Tóth
1–10, 12–17
81
Robert Mureșan
12
FFM Honda Grand Prix 125
Honda
Honda RS125R
63
Mike Di Meglio
1–9, 12–16
83
Clément Dunikowski
10, 17
RACC Derbi
Derbi
Derbi RS 125 R
30
Pere Tutusaus
17
92
Pol Espargaró
7
FRS
Honda
Honda RS125R
47
Shoya Tomizawa
15
S-way
Honda
Honda RS125R
48
Toshihisa Kuzuhara
15
Plus One
Honda
Honda RS125R
50
Hiroomi Iwata
15
Honda Suzuka Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
51
Iori Namihira
15
Red Bull ADAC TM Junior
KTM
KTM 125 FRR
54
Randy Krummenacher
16–17
61
Robin Lässer
10
Tom Hatton Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
57
Tom Hatton
14
Tassie WindsScreens
Honda
Honda RS125R
58
Brett Symonds
14
Rhys Moller Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
59
Rhys Moller
14
Angelo's Aluminium Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
62
Brent Rigoli
14
Double Vision Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
64
Alex Lowes
9
www.sp125racing.com
Honda
Honda RS125R
65
Kyle Kentish
9
KRP KRP/dancoopers96.com
Honda
Honda RS125R
66
Anthony Rogers
9
67
Blake Leigh-Smith
9
96
Daniel Cooper
9
Mayer-Racing Passau
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
68
Thomas Mayer
12
Kuja Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
69
Michal Šembera
12, 16
Roha'c & Fejta
Honda
Honda RS125R
70
Michal Prášek
12
Sachsenring-Motorrad Unger
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
72
Eric Hübsch
10
Lambea TMM Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
76
Iván Maestro
1, 7
Quinto Almoradi
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
77
Daniel Sáez
1, 17
Varenhof Racing Team
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
78
Hugo van den Berg
1, 5, 7–8, 12, 17
Yamaha Indonesia
Yamaha
Yamaha TZ125
80
Doni Tata Pradita
13
Las Vegas Team Romania
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
81
Robert Mureșan
3, 8
Villiers Team Competition
Honda
Honda RS125R
82
Matthieu Lussiana
5
Équipe de France FFM
Honda
Honda RS125R
83
Clément Dunikowski
5
FP Motorsport
Honda
Honda RS125R
84
Mathieu Olagnon
5
TVX Racing-CTR Distribution
Honda
Honda RS125R
85
Yannick Deschamps
5
China Zongshein Team
Honda
Honda RS125R
86
Ho Wan Chow
4
TicinoHosting-MTR
Honda
Honda RS125R
87
Roberto Lacalendola
6
88
Daniele Rossi
6
Racing Service
Honda
Honda RS125R
89
Nico Vivarelli
6
Grillini Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
90
Hiroaki Kuzuhara
6
RCGM Team
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
91
Luca Verdini
6
Jan Bakker Auto's Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
93
Gert-Jan Kok
8
Lemstra Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
94
Patrick van de Waarsenburg
8
Abbink Bos Racing
Honda
Honda RS125R
95
Georg Fröhlich
8, 10, 16
RZT Racing
Aprilia
Aprilia RS 125 R
97
Joshua Sommer
10
Honda Schumann Reisen
Honda
Honda RS125R
98
Toni Wirsing
10
Key
Regular rider
Wildcard rider
Replacement rider
Standings
MotoGP standings
Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
Points
25
20
16
13
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Riders' standings
Rounds marked with a light blue background were under wet race conditions or stopped by rain.
Riders marked with light blue background were eligible for Rookie of the Year awards.
Colour
Result
Gold
Winner
Silver
Second place
Bronze
Third place
Green
Points finish
Blue
Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple
Retired (Ret)
Red
Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black
Disqualified (DSQ)
White
Did not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank
Did not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)
Bold – Pole positionItalics – Fastest lap
Constructors' standings
Each constructor got the same number of points as their best placed rider in each race.
Rounds marked with a light blue background were under wet race conditions or stopped by rain.
Teams' standings
Each team got the total points scored by their two riders, including replacement riders. In one rider team, only the points scored by that rider was counted. Wildcard riders did not score points.
Rounds marked with a light blue background were under wet race conditions or stopped by rain.
250cc standings
Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
Points
25
20
16
13
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Riders' standings
Rounds marked with a light blue background were under wet race conditions or stopped by rain.
Riders marked with light blue background were eligible for Rookie of the Year awards.
Colour
Result
Gold
Winner
Silver
Second place
Bronze
Third place
Green
Points finish
Blue
Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple
Retired (Ret)
Red
Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black
Disqualified (DSQ)
White
Did not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank
Did not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)
Bold – Pole positionItalics – Fastest lap
Constructors' standings
Each constructor got the same number of points as their best placed rider in each race.
Rounds marked with a light blue background were under wet race conditions or stopped by rain.
125cc standings
Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
Points
25
20
16
13
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Riders' standings
Rounds marked with a light blue background were under wet race conditions or stopped by rain.
Riders marked with light blue background were eligible for Rookie of the Year awards.
Colour
Result
Gold
Winner
Silver
Second place
Bronze
Third place
Green
Points finish
Blue
Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple
Retired (Ret)
Red
Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black
Disqualified (DSQ)
White
Did not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank
Did not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)
Bold – Pole positionItalics – Fastest lap
Constructors' standings
Each constructor got the same number of points as their best placed rider in each race.
Rounds marked with a light blue background were under wet race conditions or stopped by rain.
References