Phillip Island 1999
1st Tadayuki Okada
2nd Max Biaggi +0.085 s
3rd Regis Laconi +0.124 s
There were plenty of mighty close finishes in 1999 and 2000, mainly because Mick Doohan had gone and Valentino Rossi wasn’t fully up to speed, so the pack was more tightly packed than ever. At least, it was at Phillip Island 1999 after Kenny Roberts Jr lost a big lead when his Suzuki’s rear tyre fell apart with five laps to go.
As the next year’s world champ stopped, all hell broke loose — a three-way battle among Max Biaggi (Marlboro Yamaha YZR500), Regis Laconi (Red Bull Yamaha YZR500) and Tadayuki Okada (Repsol Honda NSR500). Biaggi led into the last lap, using tight, defensive lines. But then he left the door open into MG hairpin and Okada didn’t need a written invitation. The Japanese — who, two years earlier, had angered Doohan with a heavy winning move on the final lap at Sentul — inched ahead and flashed across the finishing line with Biaggi almost side by side and Laconi sucking heavily on their exhaust fumes. This still ranks as the closest premier-class podium in history.