Yep, definitely one of the best final laps (and subsequent lead ups) in MotoGP.
However for me, in 2004 at Phillip Island, Rossi and his nemesis Sete Gibernau gave us the greatest final lap in motorsport history.
It’s hard to get a sense of the circumstances surrounding the lead up to the race. But neadless to say, Rossi and Sete didn’t like eachother, their rivalry had been growing in previous years almost leading to physical altercations in the pits, and Rossi once stating that Sete will never beat him ever again…
Anyway, it was the penultimate round of the championship season and Rossi just needed to finish second (where he was positioned confortably) to become world champion. However if you’re a “racer” you can’t help but race.
Sete had been leading the race for 22 laps, but Rossi gradually caught up setting up a final lap showdown. They fought for the lead which changed atleast 3 times, all the while in danger of having a collision (which almost happened several times). It must be understood, if Rossi came off he’d loose the championship to the man he was trying to overtake. Every piece of advice would be to take second place and secure the championship. You don’t become the best just by “settling” however, so at the risk of ruining the championship (and handing it to his biggest rival), Rossi fought and took the lead with 2 corners to go and won by 0.097 seconds.
I was lucky enough to be at the track to experience an atmosphere like no other. We all jumped the fences and ran up the track to the podium where he sprayed the crowd with champagne and threw his helmet into the crowd. He aptly wore a t-shirt saying “Che Spettacolo” meaning “What a show”. He was ecstatic and everyone cheered his name “Vale! Vale!”.
Sete was never the same after that. True to Rossi’s word, Sete never won another race and became an emotional wreck. He lost his nerve and desire. He was broken.