The waiting game

Over the last 74 years many riders have faced that dreaded wait. In all, 18 premier class world titles have been decided at the final race. Only three times has the rider not leading on points going into the final round did not win the title. The biggest turnaround was in 2006 when Nicky Hayden turned over Valentino Rossi’s eight-point advantage to take the title. The first last race decider came in 1950 with Umberto Masetti’s second place at Monza bringing him the title by a single point from Geoff Duke who won the race. The last was in 2017 when Marc Marquez arrived at Valencia with a 21-point lead over Andrea Dovizioso.

So what do riders do while waiting for that final showdown. How long have some had to wait and a couple of true champions prepared for that final round even before it came along. In 1983 Freddie Spencer and Kenny Roberts had to wait a whole month after a fractious last lap encounter in the penultimate round at Anderstorp in Sweden. Freddie left the circuit, that doubled up as the local aerodrome with a five-point advantage after an overtaking manoeuvre, a couple of bends from the finish, that did not impress the three times World Champion. They both flew home to the States for the long wait before the final round in Imola. Freddie spent time with his family in Shreveport and Kenny at his Californian ranch playing golf. They returned to Italy and Freddie clinched his first 500 cc title after a canny ride to second place behind Kenny who tried every trick in the book to unsettle him.

Nine years later Mick Doohan could have done with those four weeks. Instead, the Australian had just two to try and find some extra strength and flexibility to his battered body. He had returned to the action in 1992 at the Interlagos circuit in Brazil for the penultimate round after missing four Grands Prix after severe complications to the leg he broke in an Assen crash. The Honda rider still held a 22-point lead in the Championship over Wayne Rainey. He could hardly walk yet alone ride a 500cc motorcycle. Somehow Mick finished 12th after 121 km of pure agony but scored no World Championship points. Rainey’s win and 20 World Championship points placed him just two points adrift going into the final round at Kyalami in South Africa. That 14 days gave Mick’s body hours of medical treatment, but his sixth place was not enough. Rainey grabbed the title by two points after finishing third.