Season Summary
The dominant reign of Honda's Mick Doohan came to an end with serious injuries suffered in practice for the Spanish Grand Prix. In his absence, his Honda team-mate Àlex Crivillé stepped forward and claimed Spain's first-ever 500cc world championship. Kenny Roberts, Jr. gave a strong performance to finish in second with four victories including an outright victory over Doohan in Japan.
A young Valentino Rossi continued to impress for Aprilia, winning nine races and claiming his second world championship, this time in the 250 class. Honda's Emilio Alzamora became the second rider to win a world championship without winning a race when he captured the 125 crown from Marco Melandri and Masao Azuma who split five victories between them.
Read more about this topic: 1999 Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing Season
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