MotoGP 2016: Bloopers!

21 of the most competitive riders in the world, 260-horsepower machines, 60-degree lean angles... MotoGP is never going to go exactly to plan!

1. Iannone takes down Dovi in Argentina

If you're a team boss, the first rule for a rider is 'don't take out your team-mate'. If you're a rider, the first rule is 'beat your team-mate'.

Such opposing stances inevitably lead to team-mate 'incidents' every now and then.

But while some light contact in the hectic early laps is forgivable, wiping both of you out of a rare double podium - just metres from the finish - is a tough one to explain.

Unfortunately for Andrea Iannone, that's what happened at round two of the 2016 MotoGP season in Argentina.

The clash had far-reaching consequences as it surely contributed to Ducati opting to keep the more restrained Andrea Dovizioso alongside new signing Jorge Lorenzo in 2017.

2. Rossi's engine failure at Mugello

It's a credit to MotoGP engineers that there are not more engine failures, given the stress and strain the machinery is put under, in an era when replacement of internal parts is banned due to the development freeze.

But if you are Yamaha, pretty much the last place you'd ever want an engine failure would be on Valentino Rossi's bike while fighting for the lead in front of his adoring home fans at Mugello.

That's exactly what occurred in this year's Italian round, apparently caused by a spike in revs as the bike momentarily jumped over the crest of the 240mhp main straight. Exactly the same thing happened to team-mate Jorge Lorenzo in warm-up... the Spaniard went on to win the race after Rossi's smoky exit.

3. Iannone rams Lorenzo in Catalunya

After falling while fighting at the front in half of the previous six events, there are probably better ways to get back in Ducati's good books than by ramming their 2017 signing Jorge Lorenzo out of his home race.

That's what happened in Catalunya, when Iannone misjudged their relative braking points (Lorenzo was struggling for grip) and ploughed into Yamaha's reigning triple world champion.

"It's unbelievable that Iannone made this mistake again and when he did, instead of saying 'sorry', he asked me if I had an engine failure or something strange happening in this corner," Lorenzo said.

Andrea Dovizioso had already been named as staying at Ducati alongside Lorenzo. Iannone - who will move to Suzuki next season - later made amends by handing Ducati its first victory since 2010.

4. Redding's rear tyre comes apart in Argentina

It's every tyre manufacturers' nightmare; a stress-related failure that implies the whole supply is unsafe.

Michelin faced that issue in just its second race as exclusive supplier when Scott Redding's rear tyre delaminated during practice in Argentina.

The outer layer gave the Englishman a hard whack on the back as it smashed his seat unit and departed from his Pramac Ducati. Fortunately, the rest of the tyre remained intact and Redding was able to bring the bike to a halt.

Michelin initially planned to introduce a new 'emergency tyre' for the race, but a wet warm-up meant there was not time to try it. Instead the grand prix distance was reduced and included a compulsory pit stop.

To its credit, Michelin rushed out a re-designed rear tyre in time for the American round the following weekend.

5. Rossi and Lorenzo capitulate at Motegi

Every neutral fan or follower wants a motorsport title to go down to the final round.

So it was a disappointment for all but Marc Marquez and Honda supporters that the Spaniard's only remaining rivals - Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo - both threw away the chance to at least delay his title celebrations.

The Movistar Yamaha team-mates fell in separate errors at the Japanese MotoGP, leaving a shocked Marquez to claim the 2016 title with three rounds still to go.

6. Marquez gets a scare in Austria

Ultimately, this mistake became a mere footnote for the 2016 season.

But it's worth remembering that the left shoulder dislocation suffered by Marc Marquez after missing his braking point behind team-mate Dani Pedrosa during FP3 in Austria could easily have wrecked his title lead.

Indeed, if it wasn't for his own quick reactions in avoiding Pedrosa, both would surely have been more seriously injured. Instead, the Repsol Honda rider strapped his shoulder up and went onto claim a safe fourth place in the race.