The 2006 Portuguese Grand Prix remains o🐽ne of the most dramatic races of the MotoGP era.

The 16th and penultimate round of the 2006 world championship, Estoril was action-packed from start to fi꧑nish - culminating in a thrilling three-way last lap victory battle between Kenny Roberts, Valentino Rossi and Toni Elias.

The significance of what happened in that race has since grown, with many of the landmarks set that da🐻y still in place.

Here is a summary of the most significant moments from🌄 the 2006 race:

o The motorsport world was stunned when Nicky Hayden was in accidentally taken out by Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa on lap 5 of 28, costing the American the world championship lead he 🔯had held since round three in Turkey. The significance of the clash even caught the attention of mainstream media.

o The accident marked Hayden's on🎃ly DNF of his title winning season.

o Toni Elias took his first and so far only MotoGP win, and with it his first eveꦗr premier-class podium. The Spaniard began the last lap in third place, but overtook both Rossi and Roberts into turn one. Rossi then got back in front, but Elias shot past him👍 out of the final turn.

o Elias won by just 0.002sec, to equal the closest ever recorded finish in the premier-class since the introduction of electroni🌠c timing.

o Elias' victory remains the last time that a satellite riderꦆ has won a MotoGP race. Elias, who was riding for Gresini Honda, looked set to lose his seat for 2007 until he took that win.

o The next tim♛e a MotoGP race was won by a last lap pass ꦏwas at Catalunya in 2009 - when Rossi was the winner.

o Second place at Estoril meant Rossi took the title le🧜ad for the first (and last) time during the entire 2006 season, having been as far as 51 points behind Hayden after round 11 of 17.

o Rossi went on to lose the 2006 world championship by five points when he fell at the Valencia season finale - the same number of poin𝔉ts he lost by finishing second to Elias at Estoril.

o 2000 world champion Roberts Jr took third place, marking the 2♑2nd and final podium of his grand prix career and the last by Team Roberts, which withdrew at the end of 2007.

o Robe🍌rts Jr took the lead on the penultimate lap, having thought the race was over one lap early. Unlike Julian Simon at Catalunya 2009, Roberts kept on the throttle when he failed to see a chequered flag.

o KR JR's Estoril performance with the Honda-powereܫd KR211V marked the last time a bike built by a privateer team has led a MotoGP race or tak🍒en a MotoGP podium.

o Casey Stone🐬r crashed on lap 2 of the race, bringing down factory Ducati rider Sete Gibernau. Gibernau hit the Australian's LCR Honda, causing the Spaniard to once again injuꩵre his collarbone.

o That injury ruled Gibernau out of Valencia, where he was replaced by Troy Bayliss -🧜 who sensationally claimed his f𒊎irst (and last) MotoGP win. In a further twist, Stoner took Gibernau's Ducati seat for 2007 and won Ducati's first world championship.

o Estoril marked Gibernau's last MotoGP start before he ﷺannounced his retirement. The Spaniard later made an ill-fated return with the Gr𒊎upo Francisco Hernando team in 2009.

o Estorilꦜ 2006 saw the debut of the new Ilmor team, whose rider Garry McCoy was credited with 15th despite being classified four laps down after pitting with electrical problems.

o The Australian and his X3 motorcycle therefore claimed the first ever MotoGP point for an 800cc machine, which offici⛄ally replaced 990cc bikes from the followinဣg year.

Do you agree with us that the 2006 Estoril race was the best so far of the four-stroke MotoGP era? Leave your comments below...

British Eurosport will be showing a re-run of the 20𓆏06 Portugues🍎e MotoGP before its delayed coverage of this Sunday's 2011 race.