Best championship deciders

#1

What races has been the best championship decider's of all time? In F1, and everywhere else.

Whilst I've seen many that likes to claim that the 2007 finale was "best race everrr", they must have forgot the '97 final at Jerez. The drama in that race, except Schumacher fun moment, seems very much ignored or forgotten, at least by younger people. Mainly I think because there are more Schumacher fans than JV fans.

Not only the moment when Schumacher tried to take out both him and Villeneuve, but also the qualifying session, and the hectic last laps when JV lost speed and positions. Had he retired, which he was pretty close to doing, he wouldn't have taken more points than Schumi. That Schumacher later got justice served doesn't really matter. The point scorers were within 5 seconds at the finish, a unique event in F1 history I believe.

Outside F1, IndyCar in 2007 had a good, happy, ending. The championship contenders, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti battling it out for the win on the last lap. Dixon having the edge but running out of fuel in the last turn, leaving Franchitti with the win and the championship. What made it more special was the build up for the final race at Chicagoland. With Franchitti having won the Indy 500 and then flipping twice in two races, the pair collided the week before at Belle Isle. Michael Andretti accused Dixon for backing into Franchitti after Dixon had collided with Buddy Rice.

The STCC final in 1999 at Mantorp is certainy the most wicked final in Swedish motor racing history. Tommy Rustad just had to cruise around to win the championship, but he was pointless after heat 1. At the start of heat 2, championship contenders Rustad, Fredrik Ekblom and Mattias Ekström collided which caused a very big shunt, taking out most of the field. Rustad couldn't take the restart, and Ekström won the championship for Audi. That would be the catalyst to get him to DTM.

aerogi · #2

My favourite is and will be Adelaide 1986.

But I vividly remember Jerez 1997, that was really great stuff. But it is still a 'surprise' to me how all of a sudden you get three cars that get the exact same time, I mean, what are the odds. I've read somewhere that there was a glitch with the timing software, but I don't know if that is a fact or a lie.

but the race itself was really enerving and exciting. I was afraid after the collision that Villeneuve would not have been able to continue.

ReneLotus · #3

Adelaide in 1994 was pretty nerve racking too. And I think that the Japanese GP in 2003 was pretty close as well, would Schumi get in the points or not? Would he stay on the track at all? I remeber that race very well.

Ofcourse Brazil 2007 was one of the best finishes to a season ever, much like '86.

#4

Last year in Brazil there were no real battles between the contenders on track, like there were in '86, '94 and '97. Whilst I think it was a quite exiting at the time, it's not a race that could rewatch several times without getting bored.

BrainPaiN · #5

Yeah, the '07 was as exciting as it possibly could be, but there have been better season finales in F1.

futuretiger9 · #6

Adelaide '86 had enormous drama, and a surprise winner.

Watkins Glen '74 had the potential to be extraordinary, but it became a bit of a damp squib after the Ferraris had problems early on and Emmo drove for the points finish he needed.

Fuji '76 was up there with 1986 in terms of drama.

OSNOF · #7

Cheeveer wrote:Last year in Brazil there were no real battles between the contenders on track, like there were in '86, '94 and '97. Whilst I think it was a quite exiting at the time, it's not a race that could rewatch several times without getting bored.

That's a very valid point, but I think the reason that '07's finale was so good was because you had the tyre discrepancies on Friday, then the 'did Lewis block Kimi?' on Saturday, then Lewis' mistake and subsequent gearbox error on Sunday which then led to the 'could he climb his way back into the WDC?', and then you had the alleged BMW\Williams fuel irregularities.

As a race, it was naff, agreed, but as a spectacle, it was one of the best.

1997 was fantastic as an on-track battle and for Brundle's 'you hit the wrong part of him, my friend' line.

I also thought that F1 1998 was pretty good as a spectacle, with Schumacher obliterating the field from the back before the tyre let go. 2003 was also decent because Schumacher made a real meal of it and left the door open for Kimi.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't need to see the title protagonists fighting on the track to enjoy the title fight.

Aside from F1, the season finale of this year's BTCC was fairly good too. Giovanardi was behind in the standings, but had the better car for Thruxton. Plato got burned the Tuesday before and therefore was racing in a pseudo-mummy outfit, and tried his damnedest to hold on. And then it was ended with controversy as Giovanardi's future team-mate held Plato up to give Gio the title.

#8

As has already been mentioned, Fuji 1976 and Australia 1986...

However, people are forgetting Japan 2003. Two drivers mathematically had a chance of championship - Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher, although before the start of the Japanese race, Schumi was on 92 points and Kimi was on 83. It looked as though Schumi had it all wrapped up...

Varying conditions in qualifying meant the grid was messed up, with the two Toyotas of Da Matta and Panis in 3rd and 4th, Webber's Jaguar in 6th and the championship contenders, Raikkonen and Schumacher, starting in 8th and 14th places respectively.

The first lap saw Montoya take the lead from Barrichello, while on the first lap, Kimi got from 8th to 6th and took 5th place on Lap 3. Schumacher, however, was still in 11th place after 4 laps had been completed. Then on Lap 6, he crashed into Sato at the chicane and lost his nose and dropped to 20th position while getting his nosecone replaced.

By lap 18, Raikkonen was solidly in 3rd place and when Coulthard pitted, he grabbed 2nd. Meanwhile, Schumacher was battling with his brother Ralf and it almost ended in disaster on Lap 41. While in 8th place, Da Matta got in his way and had to swerve to avoid him, locking his brakes. Ralf then completely cocked up his braking and smashed into the back of his brother. Ralf spun off with a broken wing, while Schumacher continued without damage.

In the end, Barrichello won with Kimi 2nd and Schumi finished 8th. Schumacher so nearly lost the championship...

#9

i am uploading the 1976 Japanese Gp at this moment.

#10

But then Kimi was so much off the pace from Barrichello, Montoya and Coulthard, so it wasn't really as close the statistics say.

EB · #11

The 1985 World Championship was far and away the most dramatic decider ever.

I still wish Davis hadn't overcut the final black though

kals · #12

In F1, Adelaide 1986 for sure, and then Adelaide 94, Jerez 97. Championship deciders with drama and intensity. You never quite knew what was going to happen and who might eventually win.

I have always thought the BTCC deciders in 1991 and 1992 were pretty special. 1992 obviously because the tactics of the BMW drivers and then that crash between Soper and Cleland. But 1991 was great as well, and special for me as my hero Will Hoy was crowned Champion. John Cleland had a good chance of taking the title as the race at Silverstone started, but he had to take risks and push hard. Will Hoy on the other hand just had to finish within a few places of Cleland. However, Cleland pushing hard destroyed his front tyres and dropped away allowing Hoy to finish ahead and take the title.

The Philip Island MotoGP round that decided the title in 2005 was pretty amazing. Rossi and Gibernau exchanged places many times over the race, and Rossi's overtake just before Lukie Heights on the last lap was incredible.

#13

How many seasons in the "major" series have actually been decided in the very last race?

For F1 in recent years, I can think of 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2003 and 2007. There's no doubt plenty before that (including 1976) that I haven't bothered looking up.

Pretty unbelievable that between 1980 and 1990, all but three seasons were decided in the final race, while between 1991 and 2007, only 5 races were decided right at the end.

#14

1990 wasn't decided the last race. It ended in a Japanese gravel trap, don't you remember?

#15

Sorry, I forgot they were still using the old old points system back then.