Only a few spectacles in motorsport rival the excitement of a MotoGP race going to the line, two riders that have battled it out all race long, the winner decided by just thousandths of a second.
Across its 75 years of running, the premier class has delivered some breathtakingly close finishes where a hair’s breadth determined victory.
Here are the five closest finishes ever recorded in the world championship:
5. Valencia 2011 – Casey Stoner vs Ben Spies
The 2011 Valencian Grand Prix was meant to close the season with celebration and remembrance.
Two weeks after the tragic loss of Marco Simoncelli, the paddock gathered in emotional unity at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit for the final round of the season.
On track, newly crowned world champion Casey Stoner looked untouchable in the early laps, opening a commanding lead under the drizzle.
Behind him, Yamaha’s Ben Spies saw his last chance to salvage a disappointing year.
As the rain intensified, Spies’ confidence grew – his smoother riding style allowing him to claw back more than ten seconds on the Australian.
With three laps remaining, the American launched a bold overtake to seize the lead. It looked done and dusted, but Stoner, although not coming close enough to launch an attack until the run to the line, refused to give up.
As they exited the final corner, the Repsol Honda’s superior acceleration gave Stoner just enough edge to beat Spies to the line by 0.015 seconds, the fifth-narrowest margin in premier-class history.
4. Great Britain 2019 – Álex Rins vs Marc Márquez
Silverstone 2019 will forever be remembered as the day Álex Rins conquered the seemingly invincible record-breaking Marc Márquez.
The Repsol Honda rider had dominated the season, taking victory after victory, and having secured pole position the day prior, it appeared the pattern would continue.
But Rins, aboard the Suzuki GSX-RR, shadowed his fellow countryman throughout the race, refusing to let Márquez escape.
Lap after lap, the Spaniard matched every move, his Suzuki’s higher corner speed helping him stay glued to Márquez’s rear tyre.
On the penultimate lap, Rins tried an audacious outside pass at the final corner and crossed the line just a fraction behind.
Having studied his rival’s line and learned from his failed attempt the lap before, he tried again on the final lap – this time darting to the inside and keeping his front wheel just ahead.
The Suzuki rocketed toward the flag and crossed the line first by 0.013 seconds. It was Rins’ finest victory to date, and quite possibly the best, most technical last-lap overtake of them all.
3. Australia 2001 – Valentino Rossi vs Max Biaggi
The 2001 Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island was the climax of one of MotoGP’s fiercest rivalries: Valentino Rossi versus Max Biaggi.
The two Italians had spent years in open hostility, trading wins and insults on and off the track.
Rossi arrived with a chance to clinch the championship; however, the rivalry with his fellow countryman meant settling for second was unthinkable.
From the opening lap, the pair broke away from the field; no other rider was able to match the two Italians on race pace.
Biaggi’s Yamaha had the edge on the straights; Rossi’s Honda the higher corner speed. For twenty laps, they fought within inches, with neither willing to blink.
On the penultimate lap, Biaggi forced Rossi wide, but the Doctor responded with one of his early-career masterstrokes.
Diving to the inside at Lukey Heights and holding the line through the final left-hander, Rossi tucked behind his screen and, as the two blasted to the finish line, edged ahead by 0.013 seconds, sealing both the race and the championship in one of the greatest duels of the two-stroke era.
2. Portugal 2006 – Toni Elías vs Valentino Rossi
Estoril 2006 delivered the closest finish ever recorded in the MotoGP era (2002 onwards) and changed the course of that year’s championship.
With two rounds left, Nicky Hayden’s title hopes seemed doomed after a collision with his rookie teammate Dani Pedrosa took both of them out of the race.
Valentino Rossi was now the clear favourite, needing only solid points to reclaim the crown. But one man refused to follow the script – Toni Elías, riding a satellite Honda from the Gresini team.
Starting from the second row, the Spaniard fought his way into contention against Rossi and Kenny Roberts Jr., creating a three-way duel for victory no one had on their bingo cards ahead of the race.
Having lost the lead of the race into turn one on the final lap, Rossi responded immediately, retaking P1 through the turn 9-10 chicane.
The reigning World Champion looked set to manage the remaining 1000m of the race from the front, but Elías refused to give in.
Taking a wider line on the exit of the final corner, the Spaniard tucked in behind Rossi, pulled out of the slipstream, and crossed the line an unfathomably close 0.002 seconds ahead.
The win marked Elías’ only MotoGP victory – and, crucially, cost Rossi five points that would hand Hayden the title two weeks later in Valencia.
1. Czech Republic 1996 – Álex Crivillé vs Mick Doohan
In 1996, Mick Doohan was nearing the peak of his dominance. The Australian had already ruled the 500cc class for the two years prior and would go on to claim another three World Championship titles by the end of 1998.
Yet one man – his own Honda teammate Álex Crivillé – was beginning to challenge the Aussie’s supremacy.
The 1996 Czech Grand Prix at Brno became the perfect stage for their rivalry: After weeks of rising (on-track) tension, the two Repsol Honda riders found themselves alone at the front, repeatedly trading the lead throughout the race in that typical 500cc two-stroke manner modern MotoGP is so often missing these days.
Doohan led into the final corner, defending the inside line. The Australian looked settled for yet another race win, slowing mid-corner to block his teammate like he did in most laps prior.
However, Crivillé had learned, or deliberately kept his masterstroke hidden for the final lap.
Cutting back towards the inside earlier than he had on the previous laps, the Spaniard carried more speed onto the short straight, surprising Doohan around the outside.
The two Hondas, screaming in that unforgettable 500cc two-stroke tone, hurdled toward the line side by side. PHOTO FINISH! Crivillé had won by 0.002 seconds – the narrowest possible margin at the time, and to this day the (joint) closest premier class race finish in history.
Honorable mention: Assen 1975 - Giacomo Agostini vs Barry Sheene
After an intense 48-minute battle for the win, Agostini and Sheene – on paper – were separated by 0.000 seconds.
However, timing equipment at the time could only measure to a tenth of a second, giving the 1975 Dutch TT a place as an honourable mention.
