Elias wins, Rossi takes championship lead!

teamcar - Valentino Rossi will take an eight-point lead over Nicky Hayden into the final round of the 2006 season after one of the most dramatic races in history ended with a debut victory for Toni Elias.

Fortuna Honda rider Elias - who had looked out of a job at the end of the season - took his first win, and podium, from just eleventh on the grid and after a photo finish between himself and Rossi.

Toni's win cost Rossi five vital points, but he will still take an eight-point championship lead into the Valencia season finale after Dani Pedrosa unforgivably took out then world championship leading team-mate Nicky Hayden, while trying to take third place from the American early on.

As well as Pedrosa and Hayden, Casey Stoner, Sete Gibernau and Shinya Nakano all crashed out early on - helping the new Ilmor SRT team to take a point on its MotoGP debut, despite finishing four laps down after having to pit due to electrical problems.