America's Nicky Hayden celebrates winning the MotoGP title

The 2006 MotoGP season will be remembered as one of the most extraordinary in the history of the sport.

Nicky Hayden was crowned champion after a unbelievable finish to the season which saw Valentino Rossi fall off his bike in the last race in Valencia.

Rossi had clawed back an incredible 51-point deficit to lead the championship going into the decider only to slide off on lap five.

Our pundits, Suzi Perry, Steve Parrish and Charlie Cox look back on the season.

Suzi Perry: This was so the best season in terms of race action and sheer unpredictability. It was true heart in mouth stuff, real racing from real pros.

Steve Parrish: I agree, it was, no question about it.

Charlie Cox: Without a doubt, it was an extraordinary year. If it had been written as a novel people would have accused you of making it up.

Suzi: I truly didn't mind who won, but I must admit I would have liked to have seen the scrap go to the end of the race in Valencia, not lap five!

Steve: Tough one. I wanted Rossi to win just because he had such appalling bad luck and it would have been a fairytale end for him to win after coming back from being so far behind.

Charlie: I didn't mind. I just wanted the final race to be a close as possible.

Suzi: My highlights were the Sepang race and the last half of Estoril as for the sheer racing spectacle you just couldn't beat it. The biggest shocker was definitely Dani Pedrosa taking Nicky Hayden out!

Steve: Was that a highlight or lowlight? Either way Pedrosa crashing into Hayden was the stand out moment.

Charlie: I'd say Pedrosa's crash as well. Just when you thought everything that was possible to happen in a season had happened, that occurred. It was like someone had torn up the script - it's a moment I will never forget.

Suzi: The best atmosphere was in Mugello. It is just pure passionate Italian craziness! All wrapped up in Gucci sunnies!

Steve: Has to be the final race at Valencia, there was a massive crowd and people were hanging over the fence to see what the hell was going to go on.

Charlie: For five laps it was definitely Valencia - then Rossi fell off and there were 125,000 very glum people.

Suzi: James had a tough time and it was a real shame, really he had everything against him. We didn't see him at his best but we wish him all the best in the States.

Steve: Very disappointing in that I don't think the team he was with gave him a fair chance to prove himself.

Charlie: I felt really frustrated for him. We wanted him to do well, but it just didn't happen. But he stuck up for himself and never tried to make excuses.

Suzi: I can't believe we are thinking about next year already. Let's save it shall we and revel in this year for a while longer.

Steve: I think it will be Dani Pedrosa.

Charlie: Rossi had a career's worth of bad luck in one season this year so I think he will, as always, be the man to beat. Pedrosa is going to be very pesky.

Suzi: If I have one wish for next year it is for 2007 to be as unpredictable and thrilling as this season, that'll do nicely!

Steve: I'd say get the same person to write the script who wrote this year's.

Charlie: Yep, another season like this one please. It was the best season I've seen in any type of motorsport.