A championship leader crashing out, the title fight being blown wide open, a legendary final lap and, above all, the smallest gap between the top two finishers in MotoGP history: it was on 15 October 2006 that Toni Elias claimed his only premier-class victory in a race that has remained etched in the memory.
Elias arrived at Estoril 13th in the championship and was not considered a favourite. Attention was focused instead on the two main contenders for the world title: Nicky Hayden, the most consistent rider and championship leader since the Barcelona round just before the start of summer, and Valentino Rossi, who was stringing together podium finishes and clawing back the deficit he had accumulated during a difficult start to the season.
Starting from pole position, Rossi held the lead off the line, while Elias was only eighth in the early stages. The Spaniard quickly climbed to fifth, benefiting from a pass on Loris Capirossi and a crash involving Casey Stoner and Sete Gibernau, who was unable to avoid the Australian's Ducati.
As Rossi established a small gap at the front, Colin Edwards, Hayden and Dani Pedrosa repeatedly swapped positions behind the Italian.
Start action
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
On lap four, Pedrosa attempted to overtake Hayden but lost control of his bike and took his team-mate down with him. As Hayden, fearing his title hopes were slipping away, angrily punched the gravel, Elias continued his charge.
The Gresini rider had moved up to third and was closing on Edwards, but the Texan acted as a buffer behind his team-mate. Both riders were more than a second behind Rossi, who had enjoyed a largely unchallenged lead since the start.
Elias and Edwards exchanged second place several times midway through the race, allowing Rossi, who had already secured five premier-class world titles, to build an advantage of almost two seconds.
Toni Elías, Fortuna Honda
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Elias eventually gained the upper hand and closed in on Rossi before overtaking him at Turn 1 with seven laps remaining, thanks to an extremely late braking manoeuvre. Four riders were now clear at the front, with Elias leading Rossi, Edwards and Kenny Roberts Jr.
The new leader was soon forced to run wide under braking, allowing Rossi to retake the position. Elias, meanwhile, was unable to hold off a charging Roberts, who had already passed Edwards a few corners earlier.
The 2000 world champion continued his charge and overtook Rossi for the lead with two laps remaining.
As the final lap began, Roberts led on the bike fielded by his family-run team, with Rossi and Elias close behind. The Spaniard was about to produce the lap of his life.
Rossi attempted to pass Roberts but could not find a way through. For the second time in the race, however, Elias pulled off an extremely late braking move at the first corner, going from third to first.
Rossi quickly dispatched Roberts and reclaimed the lead from Elias at the chicane. The Italian entered the final straight in front, but the Spaniard launched another overtaking attempt, and the pair crossed the finish line side by side.
The timing system delivered its verdict: Elias had won by just 0.002 seconds.
Chequered flag for Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda and Valentino Rossi, Yamaha
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
It was an unprecedented margin in MotoGP. In the 500cc era, the only identical winning margin recorded since the introduction of electronic timing had come when Alex Criville beat Mick Doohan at Brno 10 years earlier. Criville was present in the parc ferme to congratulate Elias.
Out of breath during the post-race press conference, Elias was even humorously wiped down by Rossi. He described the grand prix as "difficult" and admitted he was still "very nervous".
"It's an incredible moment for me," he said, explaining how he had initially begun to believe a podium finish was possible before setting his sights on victory.
"I saw that Valentino had more or less the same pace as me. Kenny came back quickly. I saw an opportunity and did my best. When I saw the opportunity, I gave more than 100%, and it's an incredible moment. I can't believe I've won this race."
Elias' triumph allowed Hayden to limit the damage in the championship standings, leaving him eight points behind Rossi ahead of the season finale in Valencia.
Although his anger had subsided, the frustration was still visible on his face. The Kentucky Kid jokingly told reporters how he had experienced the closing stages of the race.
"I was cheering for Elias and Edwards really hard in the motorhome," Hayden said. "I swear I cheered for him even more than his parents did!"
The rest is history. Rossi crashed at Valencia, allowing Hayden to secure his only MotoGP world title.
It would take another 10 years, until Jack Miller won at Assen in the Netherlands, for another rider from a satellite team to triumph in the premier class.
As for Elias, he would never win another MotoGP race, but he went on to become the inaugural Moto2 world champion and added another title to his record in MotoAmerica in 2017.
Race winner Toni Elías, Fortuna Honda
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
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