2006 Football League play-offs
The Football League play-offs for the 2005–06 season were held in May 2006, with the finals taking place at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for the last time. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League Championship and League One and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the League Two table. The winners of the semi-finals advanced to the finals, with the winners of these matches gaining promotion for the following season.


2006 Football League play-offs, Background
The Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places.


2006 Football League play-offs, Background
In the Championship, Watford, who were aiming to return to the top flight for the first time since 2000, finished 9 points behind second placed Sheffield United, who in turn finished 16 points behind champions Reading, who were promoted to the top flight for the first time in the club's history. Preston North End who missed out on promotion from playoffs the season before and have not been in the top flight since 1961, finished in fourth place in the table. Leeds United who are aiming to bounce back to the Premier League at the second attempt, finished in fifth place. Crystal Palace finished 3 points behind Leeds United and were looking for a place back in the Premiership after relegation on final day of last season.


2006 Ford 400
The 2006 Ford 400 was the thirty-sixth stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, and the final round of the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on November 19, 2006, in Homestead, Florida, at Homestead–Miami Speedway, before a crowd of 80,000 people. The circuit is an intermediate track that holds NASCAR races. The 267-lap race was won by Greg Biffle of Roush Fenway Racing, who started from the 22nd position. Martin Truex Jr. finished second for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin was third.


2006 Ford 400
Kasey Kahne won the 12th pole position of his career by posting the fastest lap in qualifying and he led the first 18 laps until Kyle Busch passed him. He retook the first position on the 47th lap, and led for a total of 90 laps, more than any other driver. Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead after not making a pit stop under a caution period, and held it until Martin Truex Jr. assumed the first position after Earnhardt had a slow pit stop due to a lug nut problem.


2006 Ford 400
Biffle passed Riggs for the lead, only ceding it to J. J. Yeley on pit stop rotation, before getting ahead of him with twelve laps to go to win his second race of the season, his third straight at Homestead–Miami Speedway, and the eleventh of his career. There were eleven cautions and fifteen lead changes among ten drivers during the race.


2006 Ford 400
The final result of the race meant Jimmie Johnson, the points leader going into the race, won his first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Drivers' Championship with a 56-point advantage over Matt Kenseth, his nearest rival. Hamlin's third-place finish meant he finished the season as the highest-placed rookie. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet finished with a total of 279 points, 76 ahead of Dodge, and a further point in front of Ford.


2006 Ford 400, Background
The Ford 400 was the 36th of 36 scheduled stock car races of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, and the final round of the ten-race season-ending 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on November 19, 2006, in Homestead, Florida, at Homestead–Miami Speedway, an intermediate track that holds NASCAR races. The race was held on Homestead–Miami Speedway's standard track; a 1.5 mi (2.4 km) four-turn oval track. The track's turns are banked from 18 to 20 degrees, while both the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at three degrees.


2006 Ford 400, Background
Before the race Jimmie Johnson led the Drivers' Championship with 6,332 points, and Matt Kenseth was second. Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick tied for third and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. rounded out the top five drivers competing for the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup. A maximum of 195 points were available for the final race, which meant Kenseth could still win the championship. Johnson need to finish twelfth to become the champion as, even if Kenseth won, Johnson would still be ahead of Kenseth.


2006 Ford 400, Background
In the event that Kenseth won, and he and Johnson were tied on points, both drivers would have five wins, but Johnson would be the champion as he had more second-place finishes than Kenseth. Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne completed the top ten. Chevrolet had already secured the Manufacturers' Championship, and entered the race on 273 points; Dodge was second with 199, followed by Ford with 193. Greg Biffle was the race's defending champion.


2006 Ford 400, Background
Johnson, runner-up in the 2004 championship, had been second in points entering the past three races at Homestead, and stated his strategy was to finish ahead of his rivals, "I can't express enough how much experience in this sport has helped me as a driver. My fifth year, fifth time being in a championship situation … We’ve been under pressure and we’ve been in this situation and we are a better, stronger, more mature race team from it. I think the last few months, we’ve been able to show that."


2006 Ford 400, Background
Kenseth said his only chance at taking his second championship was if Johnson failed to finish, and was not optimistic due to his recent streak of poor performances, "He's going to have to have problems, and we're going to have to have a lot of good luck to get in there. We can't do it on performance. We can't run 25th on performance right now."


2006 Ford 400, Background
Two drivers made their first attempts at qualifying for a race in the season. After announcing his departure from Formula One in July 2006, Juan Pablo Montoya was confirmed as participating in the Ford 400 for Chip Ganassi Racing in its No. 30 car as preparation for his full-time Nextel Cup Series debut for the 2007 season after team owner Chip Ganassi filed an additional entry for the event. For Homestead, Brewco Motorsports extended its relationship with its Busch Series driver Casey Atwood to attempt to qualify for the team's second race in the Nextel Cup Series, and Atwood's first since he raced for Evernham Motorsports in the 2003 season.


2006 Ford 400, Practice and qualifying
Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race; one on Friday and two on Saturday. The first session lasted 90 minutes, the second 60 minutes and the third 35 minutes. In the first practice session, Kurt Busch was fastest with a time of 30.366 seconds, ahead of Elliott Sadler in second, and David Stremme third. Burton was fourth-fastest, Biffle placed fifth, and Kahne sixth. Brian Vickers, Ryan Newman, Martin, and Scott Riggs rounded out the session's top ten drivers. During the session, Dale Jarrett crashed into a trackside wall. He switched to a back-up car for the qualifying session held later that day.


2006 Ford 400, Practice and qualifying
Fifty-six cars were entered in the qualifier on Friday afternoon; according to NASCAR's qualifying procedure, forty-three were allowed to race. Each driver ran two laps, with the starting order determined by the competitor's fastest times. Morgan Shepherd withdrew from the event prior to qualifying due to irreparable structural damage to his car from an accident in the first practice session. Kahne took his sixth pole position of the season, and the 12th of his career with a time of 30.293 seconds, to equal Kurt Busch on the number of pole positions won in 2006.


2006 Ford 400, Practice and qualifying
He was joined on the grid's front row by Riggs, his Evernham Motorsports teammate, who recorded a lap seven-thousands of a second slower. Kyle Busch qualified in third, Sadler took fourth, and Burton began from fifth. Vickers, Harvick, J. J. Yeley, David Gilliland, and Clint Bowyer completed the top ten starters. Johnson, a Chase for the Nextel Cup driver, qualified 13th, while Kenseth, another chase driver, set the 19th-fastest lap. 43rd-placed qualifier Bill Elliott used a champion's provisional to enable his participation in the race. On his second lap, Robby Gordon's engine failed, and he changed engines.


2006 Ford 400, Practice and qualifying
The twelve drivers who failed to qualify were Ward Burton, Brandon Whitt, Atwood, Kenny Wallace, Todd Kluever, David Ragan, Michael Waltrip, Mike Skinner, Derrike Cope, Kevin Lepage, Carl Long, and Chad Chaffin. After qualifying, Kahne said, "The engine package we brought here is very strong and the Dodge Chargers are working well. We'll see what happens, but it's pretty nice to have all three cars up front."


2006 Ford 400, Practice and qualifying
With a time of 31.317 seconds, Casey Mears was fastest in the second practice session on Saturday afternoon. Harvick set the second-quickest lap time and Newman was third. Fourth went to Burton, Scott Wimmer came fifth, and Kyle Busch was sixth. Kahne, Bowyer, Vickers, and Johnson occupied positions seven through ten. Hamlin was the highest-placed Chase driver outside of the top ten in 12th, and Earnhardt recorded the 19th fastest time. At the end of the second practice session, Travis Kvapil's engine failed. Later that day, Burton paced the final practice session with a lap of 31.229 seconds; Newman improved his performance for second, and Kahne was third. Martin was fourth-fastest, Kenseth fifth, and his championship rival Johnson sixth. Hamlin placed seventh, Robby Gordon eighth, Mears ninth, and Dave Blaney tenth.


2006 Ford 400, Race
Live television coverage of the race began at 14:01 Eastern Standard Time (UTC+04:00) in the United States on NBC. Around the start of the race, weather conditions were clear with the air temperature at 70 °F (21 °C). Jenna Edwards, Miss Florida USA 2007, began pre-race ceremonies with an invocation. American Idol season five winner and blues rock singer Taylor Hicks performed the national anthem, and Ford board of directors member Edsel Ford II commanded the drivers to start their engines. During the pace laps, Bowyer and Robby Gordon moved to the back of the grid because of engine changes.


2006 Ford 400, Race
The race commenced at 15:11 local time but one lap was deduced from its scheduled distance because NASCAR located debris on the track between the first and second corners. Kahne maintained the lead going into turn one. Riggs was passed by Kyle Busch for third but the latter fell to fourth on lap two. After starting 15th, Johson moved to eleventh by the start of the fifth lap.


2006 Ford 400, Race
Two laps later, Kurt Busch made contact with the wall on the backstretch leaving turn two, ricocheted off it, and Bobby Labonte ran into the rear of his car, causing the first caution to be displayed. During the caution, 23 drivers elected to make pit stops for adjustments to their cars. Kahne held the lead at the lap-12 restart, followed by his teammate Riggs, Burton, and Kyle Busch. On the next lap, Kyle Busch passed Riggs for second.


2006 Ford 400, Race
Two laps later, the second caution was shown: a flat tire caused Kurt Busch to lose control of his car, and clout the wall leaving turn four, littering the track with debris. Under caution, more drivers chose to make pit stops. Johnson had a hole at the front of his car punctured by debris from Kurt Busch's car repaired.


2006 Ford 400, Race
Racing resumed on lap 19 with Kahne being overtaken by Kyle Busch for the lead, and he then fell behind his teammate Riggs for third. Montoya made minor contact with Mears and Earnhardt, and picked up a flat left-front tire on lap 22. By the 30th lap, the lead of Kyle Busch over Riggs was 0.170 seconds, as Johnson advanced to 26th after restarting 40th. Johnson moved further through the pack to 20th place by lap 40. Five laps later, a spring rubber was located on the backstretch groove, prompting the third caution.


2006 Ford 400, Race
During the caution, the leaders (including Kyle Busch), made pit stops for car adjustments. At the lap 50-restart, Kahne led the field back up to speed. He extended his lead over Kyle Busch to 0.994 seconds by the 65th lap. Johnson got into tenth on lap 79, and he overtook Harvick for ninth on the lap after a short battle. On lap 94, Earnhardt moved into sixth place, and he then got ahead of Gilliland and Kenseth to advance into fourth. Green flag pit stops began on lap 104, and concluded on lap 109, with Kahne retaining the lead.


2006 Ford 400, Race
Kyle Busch got loose, and made contact with a wall, losing some places, and then made heavy contact with the turn two wall with the right-hand side of his car on lap 116, causing the fourth caution. Several drivers, including Kahne, made pit stops for fuel and tires under caution. Earnhardt did not make a pit stop, and led at the lap-120 restart. Eleven laps later, Martin Truex Jr. was passed by Biffle for second, as Earnhardt pulled away from the remainder of the field after holding off multiple challenges for the lead.


2006 Ford 400, Race
The fifth caution came out on lap 160 when Blaney's left-rear tire burst, and scattered debris across the track. During the caution, multiple drivers (including Earnhardt) elected to enter pit road for tire changes and car adjustments. Earnhardt had a slow stop because of a rear lug nut problem, and Truex led at the restart on lap 166. A sixth caution came out as Gilliland clouted the turn one wall. He then lost control of his car, and hit the wall two corners later. Some cars made pit stops but not those in the top 13 positions.


2006 Ford 400, Race
Racing continued on lap 179 as Truex led from Kahne, and Biffle. Two laps later, Johnson drew alongside Kenseth but he could not make the pass for fifth. He did succeed on the next lap until Kenseth retook the position on lap 183. That lap, Bowyer overtook Johnson for sixth. On lap 188, Robby Gordon crashed leaving the fourth turn, and spun 360 degrees, as Johnson steered left to avoid hitting him, activating the seventh caution. Under the caution, multiple drivers (including Truex), elected to make pit stops for tires and car adjustments.


2006 Ford 400, Race
Sadler did not make a pit stop and led at the lap-194 restart. Johnson fell to 15th as several drivers began to prepare themselves for several green flag racing laps on the 197th lap. On lap 206, Mike Bliss' engine failed, laying oil on the track, and triggering the eighth caution. Several cars, including Sadler, went to pit road for tires and fuel. Kahne won the race off pit road to retake the lead for the lap 210 restart. Kahne's teammate Riggs overtook him at the start-finish line to move into the lead on the lap. The following lap, Riggs lost the lead to Kahne.


2006 Ford 400, Race
Biffle passed his teammate Kenseth for third on lap 212, and then Riggs for second on the next lap. He overtook Kahne to lead for the first time on the 214th lap. On lap 225, Earnhardt scraped the wall with his car's right-hand side going through turn two, but continued in 12th place. Johnson moved to eighth place by the 243rd lap, and did not require another pit stop. Lap 247 had the ninth caution; Newman's left-rear tire was cut from contact with Montoya, and he slid through some grass on the backstretch.


2006 Ford 400, Race
The leaders (including Biffle) elected to make pit stops for tires under caution. Yeley stayed on the track to lead at the lap 252 restart. That lap, Newman ran into the rear of Montoya's car in turn one, causing the latter to hit the turn one wall heavily, and his car caught fire due to a ruptured fuel cell, as it drifted toward the infield. Montoya was uninjured. A tenth caution was displayed for three laps, until race officials showed a red flag for seven minutes and 58 seconds for track cleanup as cars stopped on the turn three banking.


2006 Ford 400, Race
Yeley led at the restart on lap 257 though he was passed soon after by Biffle on his left. On the following lap, Yeley lost second to Kahne. Johnson was overtaken by Harvick for seventh on the 259th lap, and Hamlin got ahead of Yeley to move into third place. On lap 262, the eleventh (and final) caution came out when Mears' engine failed, laying oil on the track. During the caution, Yeley stopped on the backstretch because his car had run out of fuel on the 265th lap. Biffle got the race back underway on the lap 267 restart.


2006 Ford 400, Race
That lap, Kahne was passed by Truex for second. Biffle held the lead for the remaining two laps to take his second victory of the season, his third straight at Homestead–Miami Speedway, and the eleventh of his career. Truex finished second, Hamlin third, Kahne fourth, and Harvick fifth. Kenseth took sixth, Riggs came seventh, and Edwards placed eighth. Johnson finished ninth to win his first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Championship. Bowyer rounded out the top ten finishers. There were fifteen lead changes among ten drivers during the course of the race. Kahne led for a total of 90 laps, more than any other driver. Biffle led twice for a total of 47 laps.


2006 Ford 400, Race, Post-race comments
Biffle appeared in victory lane to celebrate his second victory of the season in front of a crowd of 80,000 spectators; the win earned him $323,800. He said the win made up for the struggles he had during the season and praised his car for helping him take the victory, "It does a lot for us, Everybody knows this has been a tough year for us. It seems like we haven't been in the right place at the right time and then haven't had fast enough race cars and have had mechanical failures."


2006 Ford 400, Race, Post-race comments
Truex spoke of his enjoyment that a fast car enabled him to run strongly for the majority of the event, "It's been a pretty tough season. The last few months we've really come together and had some good runs and just to be able to close the deal, feels really good." Third-placed Hamlin was not disappointed over not winning the championship, "I figured we just fell back to fifth or sixth in points and who knows where we were going to end up, I was angry at the time, but I settled myself back down. It's been a great year for us," Hamlin said. "I'm ecstatic the way we ran. This is the way I wanted to end the year is with a top-five finish [because] these guys deserve it."


2006 Ford 400, Race, Post-race comments
Afterward, Johnson began celebrating his first Nextel Cup Series championship. He said of his achievement, "I think we knew in our hearts we could do it all along, we just got into some bad luck at the beginning. That's what let us get the momentum, let us sleep well at night, is because we knew this team was capable of winning a championship. We just had to have some good luck." His crew chief Chad Knaus commented on the pressure the No. 48 team faced, "This team has really come into its own the last year.


2006 Ford 400, Race, Post-race comments
We've had to battle back from a lot of weird stuff. I'm more happy for my guys than for myself." Kenseth expressed disappointment over his performance during the Chase for the Nextel Cup but was pleased to finish as runner-up to Johnson, "If we had run in the Chase like we did in August, we would have been 200 points clear before Homestead,  If you look at all the problems people had in the Chase and we didn't have any, that was dragging me down. But this is probably one of the best seasons I've ever had. I won four races, and we could have won eight or nine."


2006 Ford 400, Race, Post-race comments
After the race, Newman and his crew chief Matt Borland were summoned to meet NASCAR officials for his accident with Montoya on lap 252 so that they could query the pair on whether the contact was done purposefully. Montoya said of the crash after leaving the circuit's infield care center, "It's one of those things that happens in racing. The Texaco/Havoline Dodge was a great car today. Everybody worked so hard on this racecar. It's a shame. It's a fast racecar." According to Newman, Montoya's car came across the front of his, "I felt bad for the situation because, obviously, it looked like I was retaliating, but that's not the case. That's what we just talked about."


2006 Ford 400, Race, Post-race comments
In the Drivers' Championship, Johnson finished first with 6,475 points, 56 ahead of his nearest rival Kenseth in second. Hamlin followed as the highest-placed rookie in third with 6,407 points. Harvick and Earnhardt were fourth and fifth with 6,397 and 6,328 points respectively, and Jeff Gordon, Burton, Kahne, Martin, and Kyle Busch rounded out the top ten drivers in the final Chase for the Nextel Cup standings. Chevrolet won the Manufacturers' Championship with 279 points. Dodge was 76 points behind in second, and Ford was a further point behind in third. The race took three hours, 12 minutes, and 23 seconds to complete, and the margin of victory was 0.389 seconds.


2006 Fordham Rams football team
The 2006 Fordham Rams football team was an American football team that represented Fordham University during the 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Fordham finished second-to-last in the Patriot League.


2006 Fordham Rams football team
In their first year under head coach Tom Masella, the Rams compiled a 3–8 record. Micah Clukey, Carl Garritano, James Prydatko and Marcus Taylor were the team captains.


2006 Fordham Rams football team
The Rams were outscored 289 to 158. Their 1–5 conference record placed sixth out of seven in the Patriot League standings.


2006 Fordham Rams football team
Fordham played its home games at Jack Coffey Field on the university's Rose Hill campus in The Bronx, in New York City.


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series
The 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series season was the fourth championship year of Europe’s premier Formula Three series. As in previous years, there were ten rounds – each with two races – held at a variety of European circuits. Each weekend consisted of one 60-minute practice session and one qualifying session, followed by one c.110 km race and one c.80 km race. In a revised qualifying system that used only one session, the starting order for race 2 was determined by the finishing order of race 1, with the top eight positions reversed.


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Summary
2006 saw the Euro Series make its debut at three venues: Brands Hatch in the UK, the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona in Spain, and Le Mans. This was the first time that rounds had been held in Britain and Spain.


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Summary
A number of regulatory changes took place prior to the 2006 season. Mid -season testing was heavily restricted to a maximum of 10 days per driver/car, with no testing at race venues, leaving teams and drivers to make the most of the race weekend test sessions. The qualifying session for race 2 was dropped in favour of a result-based reverse grid system. The finishing order of race 1 decided the grid for race 2, with the top eight finishers reversed. Chassis specifications of between two and four years old (from 2002–2004) were permitted for the first time, with the creation of the Drivers' Trophy title. Eligibility for this award was restricted to drivers who were not more than 22 years old.


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Summary
After Lewis Hamilton's domination of the 2005 season, the 2006 championship battle was considerably closer. The title was won by Scotsman Paul di Resta, who ended the year 11 points ahead of Germany's Sebastian Vettel. For much of the season, di Resta and Vettel were exchanging the points lead, but the German's focus wavered towards the end of the year. BMW-Sauber's motorsport director Mario Theissen attributed this to the busy schedule that Vettel undertook as his team's test driver in the last three Grands Prix of the 2006 F1 season. Other drivers worthy of note included Kamui Kobayashi, who finished on the podium twice on the way to winning the Rookie Cup, and race winner Kazuki Nakajima, whose performances attracted a testing contract with Williams.


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Summary
Not surprisingly, the two main championship contenders were team-mates at ASM Formule 3, the French-based team that has dominated the Euro Series for the last three seasons with three Drivers' and Teams' Championship titles in succession. 2006 saw another improvement in form from Manor Motorsport – a former multiple champion team in British F3. With Japan's Kohei Hirate and the experienced Esteban Guerrieri, it was frequently ASM's closest challenger and finished 2nd in the Teams' Championship standings. This year, Manor was no longer the sole British team in the Euroseries – it was joined by entries from Hitech Racing and Fortec Motorsport at Hockenheim (round 1) and Brands Hatch (round 4).


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Summary
With only one race win for an Opel-powered car – from a reverse-grid pole position – it was another season of domination by the HWA-built Mercedes engine. Dallara was the de facto sole supplier of chassis, with the Signature SLC project on indefinite hold and the Mygale chassis still yet to race in this series.


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes, Additional participations
Prema Powerteam's third entry was taken over by Italy's Paulo Maria Nocera for four rounds, starting at the Nürburgring. He in turn was replaced by Brazil's Roberto Streit at the final round of the season. Bruno Rudolf Fechner started five races in SMS Seyffarth Motorsport's #44 entry, but was substituted  by fellow German Dominik Schraml in round 3 at Oschersleben. The #44 car was not present at every round. Schraml made a one-off return at the Norisring, driving a Dallara-Opel for FS Motorsport.


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes, Additional participations
Kevin Fank's #42 SMS Seyffarth Motorsport entry returned at the Norisring in the hands of Gina Maria Adenauer before it, too, failed to make another appearance. Like the drivers that they replaced, Schraml and Adenauer were eligible for the Drivers' Trophy. Julien Abelli, of Janiec Racing, did not make any appearances until the Le Mans round.


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Teams and drivers, Driver changes, Additional participations
In round 5 at the Norisring, F3 rookie Natacha Gachnang of Switzerland drove a second entry for Jo Zeller Racing. She also competed in rounds 6, 9, and 10. In the F3 Masters at Zandvoort, ATS F3 Cup team Van Amersfoort Racing made a one-off appearance with two cars for its Cup regulars, Dominik Muermans and Récardo Bruins Choi.


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Season standings
The Drivers' Trophy is restricted to drivers who are not more than 22 years old, using chassis specifications that are 2 to 4 years old.


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Season standings, Drivers Standings
† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Season standings, Drivers Standings
The effects of the new reverse-grid system – which put the 8th-placed finisher from race 1 on pole for race 2 – can be seen clearly in this chart. 50% of the race 2 pole sitters went on to win, while there was only one double winner (Vettel in round 6) and no other race 1 winner even reached the podium in race 2.


2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Season standings, Rookie Cup
Rookie drivers are only eligible for the Rookie Cup title if they have not previously competed in a national or international Formula 3 championship.


2006 Formula 3 Sudamericana season
The 2006 Formula 3 Sudamericana season was the 20th Formula 3 Sudamericana season. It began on 26 March 2006, at  Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba in and ended on 26 November at Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo. Brazilian driver Luiz Razia won the title.


2006 Formula BMW ADAC season
The 2006 Formula BMW ADAC season was a multi-event motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars held across Europe. The championship featured drivers competing in 1.2 litre Formula BMW single seat race cars. The 2006 season was the ninth Formula BMW ADAC season organized by BMW Motorsport and ADAC. The season began at Hockenheimring on 8 April and finished at the same place on 29 October, after eighteen races.


2006 Formula BMW ADAC season, 2006 Schedule
The series supported the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters at seven rounds, with additional rounds at the European Grand Prix on May 5–7th on 2–4 June and the WTCC Race of Germany.


2006 Formula BMW ADAC season, Championship standings
† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.


2006 Formula BMW UK season
The 2006 Formula BMW UK season was the third Formula BMW season based in United Kingdom whose mission was to develop talented young drivers and introduce them to auto racing using full-size cars. The series was part of the support race package for the BTCC.


2006 Formula BMW World Final
The 2006 Formula BMW World Final was the second Formula BMW World Final race and held for the first time at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste near Valencia on 24–26 November 2006. The race was won by Josef Kaufmann Racing's driver Christian Vietoris, who finished ahead Mika Mäki and Stefano Coletti.


2006 Formula Ford 2000 Championship Series
The 2006 Cooper Tires Formula Ford 2000 Championship Series was the sixth and final season of the USF2000 Ford Zetec championship. It proved to be the ultimate USF2000 championship until the relaunch in 2010. J.R. Hildebrand won the championship in a Cape Motorsports entered Van Diemen RF05.


2006 Formula Nippon Championship
The 2006 Formula Nippon Championship was contested over nine rounds, with twelve teams and 25 drivers competing in the championship. The specification chassis was the Lola FN06. After eight seasons of a specification engine, there was a competition between engine manufacturers, as teams could choose between Toyota and Honda 3000cc Indy Racing League style specification normally aspirated engines.


2006 Formula Nippon Championship, Championship standings, Drivers' Championship
‡ Because of heavy rain at Fuji during the race, the event ended after two laps. Half points were awarded because of the stoppage before the 75% point.


2006 Formula One World Championship
The 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 60th season of Formula One motor racing. It featured the 57th Formula One World Championship which began on 12 March and ended on 22 October after eighteen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Fernando Alonso of Renault for the second year in a row, with Alonso becoming the youngest ever double world champion at the time. Then-retiring multiple world champion Michael Schumacher of Scuderia Ferrari finished runner-up, 13 points behind. The Constructors' Championship was won by Renault, which defeated Ferrari by five points.


2006 Formula One World Championship
The season was highlighted by the rivalry between Alonso and Schumacher, who each won seven races. Renault and Ferrari drivers dominated the field, victorious in all but one race: the Hungarian Grand Prix was won by Honda's Jenson Button, and the four second-place finishes not achieved by Renault or Ferrari were accomplished by McLaren. During this season for the first time since the 1956 season no British constructor won any race and like 1956, only factory teams won all the races during this year.


2006 Formula One World Championship
This season marked the beginning of the usage of 2.4L V8 engines in Formula One from the 3.0L V10 engines that were used in the previous seasons, which continued till the end of the 2013 season. 2006 was also the first season since 1997 that various engine configurations were featured only for Scuderia Toro Rosso that had Cosworth TJ2005-2 3.0-litre V10 powerplant.


2006 Formula One World Championship
The season saw several changes occurring in the drivers' market starting already in December 2005 as Alonso sealed a move to McLaren for 2007. Then in September, Schumacher announced his retirement from Formula One at the end of the season, with 2003 and 2005 championship runner-up Kimi Räikkönen being announced as his replacement at Ferrari. Among other notable departures included Juan Pablo Montoya, who left McLaren mid-season to pursue a career in NASCAR.


2006 Formula One World Championship
As of 2021, this is the last Constructors' Championship for Renault, and the last Drivers' Championship for a Spanish Formula One driver.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers competed in the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season calendar
The Australian Grand Prix was held later than usual, to avoid a clash with the 2006 Commonwealth Games. For the first time, Bahrain hosted the first Grand Prix. Brazil hosted the last race, while Japan and China swapped their original dates.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season calendar
In 2006, the FIA announced the Belgian Grand Prix would not be part of the 2006 Formula One season, since the local authorities had started major repair work in Spa-Francorchamps. The Belgian Grand Prix returned in 2007, when Kimi Räikkönen took pole position and his 3rd Belgian Grand Prix win in a row.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Background
The calendar was initially announced as the same as for 2005, with the Belgian Grand Prix scheduled for 17 September. However, on 8 February, the FIA announced that the Belgian National Sporting Authority (RACB) were withdrawing Spa-Francorchamps from the 2006 Formula One calendar due to a lack of time to complete improvements to the track. The race has traditionally received strong support from drivers and FIA President Max Mosley and the Grand Prix was back on the Grand Prix calendar for the 2007 season.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Background
2006 was the last season with two tyre manufacturers: The two manufacturers at the time were Japanese manufacturer Bridgestone and French company Michelin. In December 2005, the FIA announced that from the 2008 season, there would be only one tyre supplier. Five days later, Michelin announced it would quit Formula One at the end of the 2006 season as it did not want to be in Formula One as the sole tyre supplier.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Background
At the end of 2005, three well-known teams were bought out: Minardi, Sauber and Jordan. The former were bought by Red Bull to be run as a junior team to house their growing list of young talent looking for an F1 drive. Despite campaigns by Minardi fans the team were renamed Scuderia Toro Rosso (Toro Rosso), Italian for Team Red Bull. The Sauber team was purchased by BMW. BMW opted to keep the Sauber name in F1 renaming the team BMW Sauber. Jordan, who had been bought by the Midland Group in 2004, changed their name to MF1 Racing after a transition year in 2005.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Background
2006 also saw the introduction of a new Japanese team, Super Aguri F1, founded by former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki, who entered at the last moment. Super Aguri notified the FIA on 1 November 2005 (ahead of the governing body's 15 November deadline) of their intention to enter, but the FIA's initial entry list stated they had not approved Aguri's entry. However, the team received the consent of the ten existing teams to compete and paid the US$48 million bond required as a deposit. The team was confirmed by the FIA on 26 January 2006.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Background
Between the 2005 and 2006 season the ownership of Formula One changed significantly. Until November 2005 the Formula One group was owned by an Ecclestone family trust and Speed Investments (a grouping of Bayerische Landesbank, JP Morgan Chase and Lehman Brothers). On 25 November, CVC Capital Partners announced it was to purchase both the Ecclestone shares (25% of SLEC) and Bayerische Landesbank's 48% share, held through Speed Investments. By 30 March, CVC had acquired all remaining shares and later that month the European Commission announced approval of this deal, conditional upon CVC relinquishing control of Dorna Sports, promoter of MotoGP. On 28 March CVC announced the completion of the Formula One transaction. Ecclestone reinvested proceeds of his stake into the new Formula One parent company Alpha Prema.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Background
Another Ecclestone victory involved the Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association's proposal for an alternative world championship. On 27 March, the five car manufacturers involved lodged applications for the 2008 season, reducing the likelihood of a breakaway series. On 14 May, Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association (GPMA) members confirmed they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding, a move toward signing a new Concorde Agreement. Five days later, Bernie Ecclestone and CVC Capital Partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the GPMA which should see the five "rebels" continue racing in Formula One at least until the 2012 season.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
After a disastrous 2005 season and slow start to the 2006 season Michael Schumacher won consecutive races at Imola and the Nürburgring. During the final lap of his qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix, Schumacher came to a stop at the La Rascasse hairpin, resulting in yellow flags, meaning that other drivers could not go at maximum speed.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
After the session there were immediate complaints from the other teams claiming that this was a deliberate move by Schumacher to ensure he started in pole position – Alonso's flying lap that was affected by the yellow flags had been likely to beat Schumacher's fastest time – at the end of the second sector, Alonso was more than two-tenths of a second ahead of Schumacher's time, and his final time was just 0.064 seconds slower than Schumacher.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
Although Schumacher insisted that he had simply locked up his brakes at the corner, a stewards' inquiry stated, "We are left with no alternative but to conclude that the driver deliberately stopped his car on the circuit." The penalty was that Schumacher's qualifying times were all deleted, demoting him to 22nd position on the grid. He opted to start from the pitlane, and finished fifth, after an incident in the race that required the safety car to be deployed.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
The Safety Car failed to aid Schumacher however, but in fact hampered him; because he was the last car to be lapped by leader Alonso, and under 2006 FIA rules; he was not allowed to un-lap himself under Safety Car conditions. This meant he was almost a full lap down on third placed Coulthard, and fourth placed Barrichello on the resumption of the race. But by the end, he was threatening to pass them for position; finishing less than two seconds off a podium spot.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
At the British Grand Prix, Alonso became the first Spanish driver and the youngest driver (24 years and 317 days) to win a race from pole and get fastest lap, leading every lap of the race except one. Schumacher won the United States Grand Prix, his fourth consecutive victory at Indianapolis and fifth career victory there, and the French Grand Prix.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
The FIA decided that the 'Mass Damper' system used by Renault up to this point of the season did not meet the technical regulations, and it was banned – a polemical decision, since the FIA itself was consulted about the system during its development, and authorised its use. The effect of the ban was clear at the next race where the Renaults struggled to even get points. Schumacher also won the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, with Alonso finishing 5th.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
Jenson Button achieved his first Formula One career victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alonso had a mechanical failure whilst leading in the latter stages of the race whilst Michael Schumacher retired after a collision with Nick Heidfeld. However Schumacher was promoted to eighth place in the standings (having been classified ninth following a retirement three laps from the end) because Robert Kubica's debut ended in disqualification. The Polish driver had finished seventh in the BMW.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
Felipe Massa won the next Grand Prix in Turkey, so for the second race in a row, Formula One had a maiden victor. Fernando Alonso extended his lead over Michael Schumacher by two points after he managed to finish a tenth of a second ahead of the German in second place.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
At the Italian Grand Prix, Alonso was given a penalty for 'holding up' Massa during the final qualification session. Many in the Formula One 'paddock' were reported to disagree with the penalty and Max Mosley has since said that he would not have issued the same penalty as the race stewards. Schumacher reduced Alonso's lead to only two points after winning the race while Alonso suffered an engine failure in the late stages of the race.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
Despite a fourth-place finish for Alonso's teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, and a flat-spotted tyre causing Felipe Massa to score no points, the race also saw Ferrari pull ahead of Renault for the first time in 2006. Polish driver Robert Kubica took his BMW Sauber to his first podium finish, in only his third race, but the race results were largely overshadowed by Schumacher announcing, during the post-race press conference, that he would retire at the end of the season. Afterwards he did say that he would hold a position in the Ferrari F1 team for 2007, though he did not disclose what.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
Three weeks later, with his victory at Shanghai right ahead of Alonso, Schumacher drew level on points with him at the head of the championship. Schumacher led the World Championship for the first time in 2006 after the race, as he had won seven races compared to Alonso's six. Massa did not finish the race, and Renault gained again the lead in the Constructors' Championship thanks to Fisichella's third place. As Shanghai would prove to be the German's last victory of the season as well as the 91st and last victory of his career before retiring at the end of the season.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
A week later at the Japanese Grand Prix, Felipe Massa took pole ahead of Michael Schumacher in second and Fernando Alonso in fifth. Schumacher quickly took the lead and set about gaining a five-second lead, which continued until after the second round of pit stops. However, Schumacher's engine failed with 17 laps to go, forcing him to retire and handing Alonso the win ahead of Massa.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Season report
At the final round, the Brazilian Grand Prix, Massa again took pole. Drama in qualifying saw Michael Schumacher have a mysterious failure, meaning that he started down in tenth, while Alonso began in fifth. In the race, Schumacher had yet more bad luck, suffering a puncture just a few laps in. He recovered to finish fourth, while teammate Massa became the first Brazilian to win his home Grand Prix since Ayrton Senna in 1993. Alonso finished second to secure his second successive championship, adding the record of the youngest man to secure back-to-back titles to his ever-increasing list of records. Fisichella finished sixth for Renault, meaning that the French outfit secured their second successive Constructors' title. McLaren failed to secure a single win in the season for the first time since 1996 and it was the first season since 1956 that a British constructor failed to win a race.


2006 Formula One World Championship, Results and standings, Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top eight classified finishers using the following structure:


2006 Formula One World Championship, Results and standings, Scoring system
In the event of a tie, a count-back system was used as a tie-breaker, with a driver's best result used to decide the standings.


2006 Formula Palmer Audi season
2006 was the ninth year of the Formula Palmer Audi open-wheel racing series. Briton Jon Barnes won the Championship, while American Dane Cameron took the Autumn Trophy


2006 Formula Palmer Audi season, 2006 Championship
The 2006 FPA Championship took in 15 rounds at six meetings. Brands Hatch was visited in both Indy and Grand Prix configurations, while Snetterton was added to the calendar and the series returned to Spa-Francorchamps. Two FIA GT Championship-supporting rounds at Dijon-Prenois in France and at Mugello in Italy concluded the season.


2006 Formula Palmer Audi season, 2006 Championship
At the start of the season, Viktor Jensen, son of radio DJ David Jensen, romped away from the rest of the field, winning the first four races. But after that, having found his feet in his first year of open-wheel racing, Jon Barnes emerged as the dominant force, winning nine of the last 10 rounds to take the title with a race to spare. Barnes was nominated for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award for his efforts throughout the season, breaking numerous FPA records such as most wins (nine), most consecutive wins (seven) and most points in a season (326).


2006 Formula Palmer Audi season, 2006 Autumn Trophy
The 2006 Autumn Trophy, held on consecutive weekends at Snetterton and Brands Hatch in early November, heralded the dawn of the next generation of young FPA stars. At Snetterton, 16-year-old T Cars star Luciano Bacheta proved to be a contender, winning his very first race in an open-wheel car, and following it up with a third place and another victory to lead the series at the half-way stage. Meanwhile, Team USA Scholarship driver Dane Cameron won the second race to remain just two points behind Bacheta.


2006 Formula Palmer Audi season, 2006 Autumn Trophy
At Brands Hatch, however, Cameron put in a stunning weekend performance on a track the Californian had never driven before, winning all three races to become the third American to claim the title. Bacheta had to settle for third in the series, as the consistent Aaron Steele took the runner-up spot by virtue of podium finishes in all six races.


2006 Formula Palmer Audi season, 2006 Autumn Trophy
The Autumn Trophy was also notable for the open-wheel racing debuts of Alex Brundle, son of former Formula One driver Martin Brundle, and Stefan Wilson, brother of ChampCar star and former FPA champion Justin Wilson.


2006 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup
The 2006 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup was the inaugural Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup season. The season began at Oschersleben on 22 April and finished on 17 September at the Salzburgring, after sixteen races.


2006 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup
Motopark Academy driver Filipe Albuquerque won the NEC championship title, having won four races during the season. Runner-up Chris van der Drift amassed four race wins too. His JD Motorsport team-mate Xavier Maassen completed the top three with two wins.


2006 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship
The 2006 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship was the 18th British Formula Renault Championship season. The season began at Brands Hatch on April 9 and finished at Silverstone on October 15, after twenty rounds. The championship was won by Sebastian Hohenthal with Fabio Onidi winning the Graduate Cup.


2006 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship, Championship Standings
The season include 20 rounds. The final standing was established with the best 18 results of the season. A Graduate Cup (G) classification is also established for young drivers. The team standings include all two best results in each round without additional points for Fastest lap.


2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Series
The 2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Series was the second Formula Renault 3.5 Series season. It began on April 29 at Zolder, Belgium and finished in Barcelona, Spain on October 29 after 17 races.


2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Calendar and race winners
Eight rounds formed meetings of the 2006 World Series by Renault season, with an additional round supporting the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix.


2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Points system
Points were awarded at the end of each race according to the following system:


2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Points system
The maximum number of points a driver could earn each weekend (except Monaco) was 34 and the maximum number for a team was 58.


2006 Formula Renault seasons
This page describe all the 2006 seasons of Formula Renault series.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, 2006 Formula Renault 2.0 UK season
The season include 20 rounds. The final standing was established with the best 18 results of the season. A Graduate Cup (G) classification is also established for young drivers. The team standings include all two best results in each round without additional points for Fastest lap.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, 2006 Formula Renault 2.0 UK season, 2006 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Winter Series
The season include 20 rounds. The final standing was established with the best 18 results of the season.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, 2006 Formula Renault 2.0 UK season, 2006 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Winter Series
This table shows final position, including non-MSA licence drivers that were ineligible to make final standing.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, 2006 Formula Renault BARC FR2000 season
The season included 12 rounds in 8 venues. The final standing was established with the best 11 results of the season. A Club Class classification is also established for young drivers (see 2006 Formula Renault BARC Club Class season below), they participated on the same race as the FR2000 series


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, 2006 Formula Renault BARC FR2000 season, 2006 Formula Renault BARC Club Class season
The season include 12 rounds. The final standing was established with the best 11 results of the season. The Club Class category is raced in same time as the main Formula Renault BARC FR2000 series. The cars use Tatuus RC (97/98/99) or Mygale SJ99 chassis and are powered by Renault Laguna 2.0L 6 valves engine providing lower Horsepower than the FR2000 class.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, 2006 PanamGPSeries Formula Renault 2000 de America season
The series reward also the best Rookie (N) driver. Citizen-MM-Exxxess win the team championship.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, 2006 Formula Renault 2.0 Brazil season
This is the last season of the Brazilian Formula Renault series. The series is held on the Renault Speed Show weekends.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, 2006 Formula TR 2000 Pro Series season
The Formula TR 2000 Pro Series is held with the Formula TR 1600 Pro Series. The same point system is used.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, 2006 Asian Formula Renault Challenge season
The China Formula Renault Challenge (C) reward the best driver including only rounds held on China. The table indicate the final position of the race including all drivers and categories but total points are based on results according to participating categories of each driver.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, 2006 Asian Formula Renault Challenge season
The two first rounds (a and b) are supporting races for the China venue in the 2005–06 A1 Grand Prix Series. These rounds don't rewards any points for the championship. On May 28, the Zhuhai venue held only one of the 2 planned rounds. The cancelled round 5 was held on December 17, as season final round 13.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, 2006 Asian Formula Renault Challenge season
This table indicate the race original finish positions meanwhile the point standing include only the 10 best results and the eligible point drivers (excluding from results the late involvement driver in the championship).


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 1.6L, 2006 Championnat de France FFSA Formule Campus Renault Elf season
All drivers use the La Fillière car. The championship is held on various French circuits:


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 1.6L, 2006 Formula Junior 1.6 Italia powered by Renault season
This is the last season of the Formula Junior 1.6 powered by Renault in Italy. In 2007, cars was powered by Fiat engine and recalled Formula Monza 1.6.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 1.6L, 2006 PanamGPSeries Formula 1600 Junior season
The PanamGPSeries Formula 1600 Junior is held with the Formula Renault 2000 de America on the same races. The same point system is used.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 1.6L, 2006 Formula TR 1600 Pro Series season
The Formula TR 1600 Pro Series is held with the Formula TR 2000 Pro Series. The same point system is used.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships
This section resume unofficial and/or renault engine supplier formulas series.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, 2006 GP2 Series seasons
The GP2 Series are powered by 4 liters, V8 Renault engine and Bridgestone tyres with a Dallara chassis.


2006 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, 2006 Formula Super Renault season
The series use Dallara, Reynard, Ralt or Toms chassis and Renault 21, 18 or F3R 2.0L engine. The championship was held on 12 venues:


2006 Formula Toyota season
The 2006 Formula Toyota season was the 17th season of this racing class.


2006 Formula Toyota season, Drivers
All cars are Bridgestone shod Toyota FT30 cars with a Toyota 4A-GE engine.


2006 Formula V6 Asia by Renault Series
The 2006 Formula V6 Asia Series was the first season of the series. The season started on May 13–14 in Sepang and ended on October 21–22 in Zuhai.


2006 Formula V6 Asia by Renault Series, Full Series Results
Points are awarded in both races as following: 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 for 9th and 1 bonus points for pole position in the first of the two venue races but only awarded to drivers, not for teams. Only the drivers that achieve races are awarded by points.


2006 Fort Lauderdale mayoral election
The 2006 Fort Lauderdale mayoral election was held on February 14, 2006,  to elect the mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It saw the reelection of Jim Naugle.


2006 Fortis Championships Luxembourg
The 2006 Fortis Championships Luxembourg was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 11th edition of the Fortis Championships Luxembourg, and was part of the Tier II Series of the 2006 WTA Tour. It was held in Kockelscheuer, Luxembourg.


2006 Fortis Championships Luxembourg, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2006 Fortis Championships Luxembourg, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pair received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2006 Fortis Championships Luxembourg, Champions, Singles
It was the 1st singles title for Bondarenko in her singles career.


2006 Fortis Championships Luxembourg, Champions, Doubles
It was the 7th title for Peschke and the 5th title for Schiavone in their respective doubles careers.


2006 Fortis Championships Luxembourg – Doubles
Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur were the defending champions, but lost in first round to Nathalie Dechy and Tatiana Golovin.


2006 Fortis Championships Luxembourg – Doubles
Květa Peschke and Francesca Schiavone won the title by defeating Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Liezel Huber 2–6, 6–4, 6–1 in the final.


2006 Fortis Championships Luxembourg – Singles
Kim Clijsters was the defending champion, but did not compete this year.


2006 Fortis Championships Luxembourg – Singles
Unseeded Alona Bondarenko won the title by defeating Francesca Schiavone 6–3, 6–2 in the final.


2006 Fortis Championships Luxembourg – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2006 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
The 2006 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships was an international figure skating competition in the 2005–06 season. It was held at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, USA on January 25–28. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. The compulsory dance was the Tango Romantica.


2006 Four Nations Tournament (rugby union)
The Four Nations tournament (or the IV Nations tournament) was a rugby union competition among four national representative teams. The competition was last held in 2006. Both the Belgium and Spain national rugby union teams compete in the tournament, as well as amateur XVs from both France and Wales. The winner of the inaugural tournament was Belgium, who defeated Spain in the main final.


2006 Four Nations Tournament (women's football)
The 2006 Four Nations Tournament was the sixth edition of the Four Nations Tournament, an invitational women's football tournament held in China. The venue for this edition of the tournament was Guangdong Olympic Stadium, in the city of Guangzhou.


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping
Fox News Channel journalists Olaf Wiig (born 1970), a New Zealand photojournalist, and Steve Centanni, an American reporter, were kidnapped in the Gaza Strip by the Holy Jihad Brigades, a previously unknown group of Palestinian militants, from their TV van near the Palestinian security services' headquarters on August 14, 2006.


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping
No militant group initially claimed responsibility and no demands were made. Only on August 24, ten days after the kidnapping, was a video released of the men. The Holy Jihad Brigades demanded that all Muslim prisoners in the United States be released within 72 hours. No indication was given as to what would happen after this time if the demand was not met.


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping
The two were released on August 27, 2006, after a video was released with the two men stating they have converted to Islam. The two men later said they were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint.


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Kidnapping
A witness saw two vehicles blocking the journalist's transmission truck and a masked man put a gun to their bodyguard's head, forcing him to the ground.


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Efforts to free the men, Media organisations
In an internal message by Fox News Channel Senior Vice President John Moody confirmed the abduction and warned about reporting on the story. Fox sent executive Ken LaCorte to the region to press for their release. Jennifer Griffin, a Fox correspondent who was closely involved in negotiations to free the two, said "We met with warlords. We met with head of Hamas, Fatah, Al Aqsa Brigade, popular resistance committees. Islamic Jihad offered to help us." At one point, Griffin and others were taken to a tense meeting with top members of various Palestinian groups. Although a ransom of 2 million was eventually paid, Fox has denied being behind this.


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Efforts to free the men, Media organisations
Al-Jazeera called for the "immediate release" of the journalists and "in adherence to its code of ethics, reiterates its rejection of attacks of any kind on journalists from any organisation. Al Jazeera calls for the immediate release of the two kidnapped colleagues."


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Efforts to free the men, Media organisations
Journalist Fares Akram, who worked in the same building Wiig did, said he thought Palestinian officials had information on Wiig's captors and their location. Hole said he had "seen those reports too, but nothing's come through to us that changes the current situation."


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Efforts to free the men, New Zealand
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark expressed concern for Wiig's safety and said "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was alerted by British authorities this morning. New Zealand diplomats are traveling to the region to work with other officials and governments on the release of Mr Wiig and his colleague."


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Efforts to free the men, New Zealand
Jan Henderson, NZ Ambassador to Turkey and Israel, arrived in Gaza on August 15. She met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian leaders who were "very upset" about the kidnapping. Henderson said, "They assured me they are doing all they can, they take this matter extremely seriously, and we are looking for a very quick and peaceful resolution to this particular kidnapping. The Palestinian Authority has offered every cooperation. They are very upset. They have condemned the kidnapping, and they assured me they are doing everything they can for a quick and speedy resolution."


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Efforts to free the men, New Zealand
After meeting with Abbas, Prime Minister Clark said, "On hearing of the kidnapping he had instructed the security apparatus of the Palestinian Authority to work to locate the kidnappers and secure the release... President Abbas was very fulsome in what he said. His parting comment was `these people are our guests and we will do whatever we can to help'."


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Efforts to free the men, New Zealand
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman Rob Hole said there were no developments as of August 18, but said that NZ diplomats were "still active in talking but also active in waiting as well, so no breakthrough at all." Ambassador Henderson and the NZ consul to Egypt Brian Chambers have met with officials from the Palestinian, British, American and Australian foreign ministries. Senior diplomat Peter Rider is on his traveling to the Middle East and will replace Henderson, who is returning to New Zealand.


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Efforts to free the men, Hostages' families
During the ordeal, Wiig's ex-wife, Anita McNaught, told New Zealand radio from Gaza City that she had only heard "rumours, sons of rumours…none of which we give much credence to" and that kidnappings in the region were "local entrepreneurial banditry". McNaught had said that although it was unusual for so much time to pass without news, "every kidnapping is different. There is no handbook for how you do them." She expressed hope for a breakthrough in the case in the following days and met with several senior officials. McNaught had said that it was unlikely they would leave the area soon after Wiig was released.


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Efforts to free the men, Hostages' families
On August 17 the United States State Department condemned the kidnappings and called for the journalists to be freed immediately. Clark phoned Wiig's family and offered her support and left a message with McNaught. Wiig's family had said they were "deeply grateful for the care that is being extended to us and for the prime minister's direct call to us."


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Efforts to free the men, Harmeet Sooden
Harmeet Singh Sooden, an Auckland University student who was held captive in Iraq for four months by the Swords of Righteousness Brigade, appealed to the kidnappers in a press statement on August 17:


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Efforts to free the men, Harmeet Sooden
During our captivity in Iraq, virtually all of Palestine called for our release. Today, I implore those holding Olaf Wiig and Steve Centanni to free them immediately and unharmed. It is essential that we, the public, understand the greater context within which the kidnapping has taken place. Thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds of women and children, have been kidnapped by Israeli forces as part of a campaign to murder a nation under the aegis of the United States. I also call upon the media to fulfil its obligations and report the reality of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and desist from counter-productive speculation and commoditizing private trauma. I wish the negotiating team, which includes New Zealand diplomats, success.


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Release
On August 27, the Palestinian news service Ramattan and Fox News reported that Centanni and fellow captive Wiig were released unharmed, shortly after a new video was released. In the video, both journalists, wearing beige robes, read statements saying that they had converted to Islam, with Centanni stating "Islam is not just meant for some people; it is the true religion for all people at all times."


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Release
After being freed Steve Centanni stated "We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint, and don't get me wrong here, I have the highest respect for Islam, and learned a lot of very good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do, because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the hell was going on."


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Release
After their return to New York, Centanni and Wiig gave an interview with Greta Van Susteren on her Fox program On the Record. According to Wiig, the kidnappers were convinced that Centanni worked for the CIA, in part because of his presence as a journalist at the deaths of Uday and Qusay Hussein in Iraq, and that they intended to kill him. Nevertheless, they also repeatedly promised both men they would soon be freed.


2006 Fox journalists kidnapping, Release
Fox News denies paying any ransom, but there have been suggestions that someone paid $2 million USD, to those involved with the kidnappings.


2006 France rugby union tour of Romania and South Africa
The 2006 France rugby union tour of Romania and South Africa was a series of matches played in June 2006 in Romania and South Africa by France national rugby union team.


2006 France rugby union tour of Romania and South Africa, Results
Romania: 15.Florin Vlaicu, 14.Catalin Fercu, 13.Catalin Dascalu, 12.Romeo Gontineac, 11.Ion Teodorescu, 10.Ionut Dimofte, 9.Lucian Sirbu, 8.Cosmin Ratiu, 7.Alex Tudori, 6.Stelian Burcea, 5.Cristian Petre, 4.Sorin Socol (capt), 3.Bogdan Balan, 2.Marius Tincu, 1.Petru Balan,  – replacements: 16.Cezar Popescu, 17.Paulica Ion, 18.Razvan Mavrodin, 19.Valentin Ursache, 20.Valentin Calafeteanu, 21.Gabriel Brezoianu, 22.Iulian Dumitras France: 15.Clément Poitrenaud, 14.Philippe Bidabe, 13.Yannick Jauzion, 12.Damien Traille, 11.Cedric Heymans, 10.Thomas Castaignede, 9.Pierre Mignoni, 8.Julien Bonnaire, 7.Remy Martin, 6.Thierry Dusautoir, 5.Fabien Pelous (capt. ), 4.Lionel Nallet, 3.David Attoub, 2.Raphael Ibanez, 1.Sylvain Marconnet,  – replacements: 16.Dimitri Szarzewski, 17.Vincent Debaty, 18.Jerome Thion, 19.Imanol Harinordoquy, 21.David Marty, 22.Julien Laharrague    –  No entry: 20.Dimitri Yachvili


2006 France rugby union tour of Romania and South Africa, Results
South Africa: 15.Percy Montgomery, 14.Brent Russell, 13.Wynand Olivier, 12.De Wet Barry, 11.Bryan Habana, 10.Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 9.Fourie du Preez, 8.Pedrie Wannenburg, 7.Juan Smith, 6.Joe van Niekerk, 5.Victor Matfield, 4.Danie Rossouw, 3.Eddie Andrews, 2.John Smit (capt. ), 1.Os du Randt,  – replacements: 17.CJ van der Linde, 19.Jacques Cronje, 20.Ricky Januarie, 21.Wayne Julies, 22.Gaffie du Toit     –  No entry : 16.Gary Botha, 18.Albert van den BergFrance:


2006 France rugby union tour of Romania and South Africa, Results
15.Julien Laharrague, 14.Vincent Clerc, 13.Florian Fritz, 12.Yannick Jauzion, 11.Cedric Heymans, 10.Damien Traille, 9.Dimitri Yachvili, 8.Imanol Harinordoquy, 7.Thierry Dusautoir, 6.Serge Betsen, 5.Jerome Thion, 4.Fabien Pelous (capt. ), 3.Pieter de Villiers, 2.Dimitri Szarzewski, 1.Sylvain Marconnet,  – replacements: 16.Raphael Ibanez, 18.Lionel Nallet, 19.Julien Bonnaire, 20.Remy Martin, 22.Thomas Castaignede     –  No entry: 17.Vincent Debaty, 21.Pierre Mignoni


2006 Franco–Italian–Spanish Middle East Peace Plan
On November 16, 2006, France, Italy and Spain announced a new Middle East peace plan proposed by Spanish Premier José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero during talks with French president Jacques Chirac. Later on, the plan was introduced to Romano Prodi, Italy's prime minister who gave his full support to the plan. The peace move came after Israel invaded the Gaza Strip in Operation Autumn Clouds.


2006 Franco–Italian–Spanish Middle East Peace Plan, Plan
The plan is a five-point blueprint for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. The plan calls for:


2006 Franco–Italian–Spanish Middle East Peace Plan, Reaction
Senior Palestinian National Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat welcomed the plan in principle, but added that there was no need for a new initiative, but rather that it could serve as a realistic political track to a two-state solution. An Israeli official said parts of the plan were being discussed, but that it was not being taken seriously as it was not coordinated with the EU or Israel. Israel supports direct negotiations over an international conference.


2006 Frankfurt Galaxy season
The 2006 Frankfurt Galaxy season was the 14th season for the franchise in the NFL Europe  League (NFLEL). The team was led by head coach Mike Jones in his third year, and played its home games at Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany. They finished the regular season in second place with a record of seven wins and three losses. In World Bowl XIV, Frankfurt defeated the Amsterdam Admirals 22–7. The victory marked the franchise's fourth World Bowl championship, a league record.


2006 Frankfurt Galaxy season, Honors
After the completion of the regular season, the All-NFL Europe League team was selected by the NFLEL coaching staffs, members of a media panel and fans voting online at NFLEurope.com. Overall, Frankfurt had five players selected. The selections were:


2006 Frankfurt Galaxy season, Honors
Head coach Mike Jones earned NFL Europe League Coach of the Year honors.


2006 French Figure Skating Championships
The 2006 French Figure Skating Championships (French: Championnat de France Elite) took place between December 9th and 11th, 2005 in Besançon. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing on the senior level. The event was used to help determine the French team to the 2006 Winter Olympics, the 2006 World Championships, and the 2006 European Championships.


2006 French Grand Prix
The 2006 French Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Grand Prix de France 2006) was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, near Magny-Cours, France on 16 July 2006. The 70-lap race was the eleventh round of the 2006 Formula One season, the 57th French Grand Prix as part of the World Championship, and the 92nd overall. This race also marked the centenary of the first French Grand Prix in 1906.


2006 French Grand Prix
This race was a scene of yet another record breaking milestone for Michael Schumacher, who became the first driver in F1 history to win the same Grand Prix on eight occasions (having previously won the French Grand Prix in 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2004). Schumacher also achieved his 22nd career hat trick (pole position, win & fastest lap at the same race), also a record. Fernando Alonso, driving a Renault at the team's home race, finished second, whilst Schumacher's Ferrari team-mate, Felipe Massa, completed the podium by finishing in third position.


2006 French Grand Prix
This was the first time that neither Honda was classified. It was also the 68th and final pole position of Michael Schumacher's career. Schumacher held the record for the most pole positions until Lewis Hamilton surpassed it at the 2017 Italian Grand Prix.


2006 French Grand Prix, Report, Practice and qualifying, Friday drivers
The bottom 6 teams in the 2005 Constructors' Championship and Super Aguri were entitled to run a third car in free practice on Friday. These drivers drove on Friday but did not compete in qualifying or the race.


2006 French Open
The 2006 French Open was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France from 28 May to 11 June 2006. It was the 110th staging of the French Open, and the second of the four Grand Slam tennis events of 2006. This edition made history as it became the first Grand Slam tournament to start on a Sunday. It was the 2nd time since 1985 that all top 4 seeds reached the semifinals in the men's singles of a Grand Slam tournament. This did not happen again until the same tournament five years later. Both defending champions, Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin-Hardenne, retained their titles.


2006 French Open, Seniors, Men's doubles
Jonas Björkman /  Max Mirnyi defeated  Mike Bryan /  Bob Bryan, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 7–5


2006 French Open, Seniors, Women's doubles
Lisa Raymond /  Samantha Stosur defeated  Daniela Hantuchová /  Ai Sugiyama, 6–3, 6–2


2006 French Open, Seniors, Mixed doubles
Katarina Srebotnik /  Nenad Zimonjić defeated  Elena Likhovtseva /  Daniel Nestor, 6–3, 6–4


2006 French Open, Juniors, Boys' doubles
Emiliano Massa /  Kei Nishikori defeated  Artur Chernov /  Valery Rudnev 2–6, 6–1, 6–2


2006 French Open, Juniors, Girls' doubles
Sharon Fichman /  Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeated  Agnieszka Radwańska /  Caroline Wozniacki 6–7(4–7), 6–2, 6–1


2006 French Open, Wildcard entries
Below are the lists of the wildcard awardees entering in the main draws.


2006 French Open, Qualifier entries, Men's Qualifiers entries
The following players received entry into a lucky loser spot:


2006 French Open, Qualifier entries, Women's Qualifiers entries
The following player received entry into a lucky loser spot:


2006 French Open – Boys' Doubles
Emiliano Massa and Kei Nishikori won the title, defeating Artur Chernov and Valery Rudnev in the final, 2–6, 6–1, 6–2.


2006 French Open – Girls' Doubles
Victoria Azarenka and Ágnes Szávay were the defending champions, but did not compete in the Juniors that year.


2006 French Open – Girls' Doubles
Sharon Fichman and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova won the title, defeating Agnieszka Radwańska and Caroline Wozniacki in the final, 6–7(4–7), 6–2, 6–1.


2006 French Open – Girls' Singles
Agnieszka Radwańska won the title, defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final, 6–4, 6–1.


2006 French Open – Girls' Singles
Ágnes Szávay was the defending champion, but chose not to participate.


2006 French Open – Men's Doubles
Jonas Björkman and Max Mirnyi were the defending champions, and successfully defended their title by defeating top seeds The Bryan Brothers in the final. It was Björkman's ninth and final Grand Slam title.


2006 French Open – Men's Singles
Defending champion Rafael Nadal successfully defended his title, defeating Roger Federer in the final 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(7–4), to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 2006 French Open. It was Nadal's second French Open title and second major title overall. This marked Federer's first defeat in a major final. He had the chance to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam tournaments at once, having won the preceding Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open titles. This feat would ultimately be achieved a decade later by Novak Djokovic, at the same tournament, who here reached the quarterfinals at a major for the first time.


2006 French Open – Men's Singles
The tournament saw the first appearance of future major champion Juan Martín del Potro in a major main draw. It also saw the first match contested between Djokovic and Nadal, who would go on to play an Open Era record 58 matches against each other.


2006 French Open – Men's Singles Qualifying
This article displays the qualifying draw for the Men's Singles at the 2006 French Open.


2006 French Open – Mixed Doubles
2006 French Open – Mixed Doubles was an event at the 2006 French Open.


2006 French Open – Mixed Doubles
Daniela Hantuchová and Fabrice Santoro were the defending champions, but Hantuchová chose not to participate that year. Santoro paired up alongside Amélie Mauresmo instead, but lost to eventual finalists Elena Likhovtseva and Daniel Nestor in the first round.


2006 French Open – Mixed Doubles
Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjić won the final against Likhovtseva and Nestor with the score of 6-3, 6-4.


2006 French Open – Women's Doubles
Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez were the two-time defending champions, but they were defeated in the second round by Anna Chakvetadze and Elena Vesnina.


2006 French Open – Women's Doubles
Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur won the title, defeating Daniela Hantuchová and Ai Sugiyama in the final 6–3, 6–2. With the victory, Raymond completed the career Grand Slam in Women's Doubles.


2006 French Open – Women's Singles
Justine Henin-Hardenne successfully defended her title, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final 6–4, 6–4 to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 2006 French Open. Henin-Hardenne won the title without losing a set in the entire tournament, or without facing a tiebreak in any set.


2006 French Open – Women's Singles
This was the first French Open main draw appearance for future French Open champion and world No. 2 (as well as China's first Grand Slam singles champion) Li Na, who lost in the third round to Svetlana Kuznetsova.


2006 French Open – Women's Singles Qualifying
This article displays the qualifying draw for the Women's Singles at the 2006 French Open.


2006 French Road Cycling Cup
The 2006 French Road Cycling Cup was the fifteenth edition of the French Road Cycling Cup. It started on February 18 with the Tour du Haut Var and finished on October 5 with Paris–Bourges. Lloyd Mondory of AG2R Prévoyance won the overall competition.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary
The Socialist Party presidential primary of 2006 was the selection process by which members of the Socialist Party of France chose their candidate for the 2007 French presidential election. In a nationwide vote on 16 November 2006, members of the party chose the regional president of Poitou-Charentes, Ségolène Royal. This historic vote made Royal the first woman to be nominated by a major party for the office of President of France.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary
Royal faced two significant rivals in the campaign, a former Minister of Finance, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and a former Prime Minister, Laurent Fabius. With a lively public style and a dominant presence on the Internet, Royal managed to upend her more established opponents. She followed this victory with a spirited fight in the 2007 French presidential election, but ultimately lost to conservative UMP candidate Nicolas Sarkozy.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary, Background
At the 2005 Socialist Party congress in Le Mans, Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Laurent Fabius had both been considered top contenders for the next year's nomination. Strauss-Kahn, a wealthy and high-profile economist, was derided by many Socialists as a Blairite, but he still possessed a lengthy record of consequence which guaranteed him a place on the primary's shortlist. Fabius, the more traditional Socialist of the two, had seemed particularly ascendant after the distinct leftward tilt of the Le Mans congress and its resultant party platform.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary, Background
The November primary had a registration date of 1 October 2006. From early in the year, speculation grew about other candidacies including those of the former Minister of Culture Jack Lang, the former Minister of Health Bernard Kouchner, and even Lionel Jospin, the Socialists' previous nominee for President in the 2002 national election. Jospin was nominally in retirement after his disastrous loss, but he was still considered a potential entrant in the primary. When he formally announced on 28 September that he would not register for the primary, he left open the option of supporting any of the other candidates except one – Ségolène Royal.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary, Background, Ségolène Royal
Royal was the regional president of Poitou-Charentes and a deputy to the National Assembly for Deux-Sèvres. She had already expressed her eagerness to run in an interview with Paris Match in 2005. She refined a national profile and officially registered on 29 September in Vitrolles. Royal ran her campaign on issues of party reform, stressing the debilities of the traditional leadership and the need for fresh ideas. Jospin – a three-decade fixture in French politics – held her in scorn for her "pure demagoguery". When he withdrew the race amid crumbling support in opinion polls, it was widely seen as a victory for the reformist Royal.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary, Background, Ségolène Royal
Like Jospin, other party elders largely rejected Royal too, partly for her perceived willingness to modify classic Socialist principles, but also for her relatively flamboyant and charismatic campaign style, unconventional in French politics. Her personal relationship with Socialist Party leader François Hollande complicated the situation: she was his longtime domestic partner, and mother of their four children. Hollande, who had harbored ambitions of his own for the primary, acquiesced to his partner and thereafter attempted to remain officially neutral.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary, Campaign
By the end of September, Lang and Kouchner gave up their struggling bids for the nomination and each offered a modest endorsement of Royal. Strauss-Kahn, however, officially registered his candidacy on 30 September, followed by Fabius the next day. The two men presented Royal with formidable competition: Strauss-Kahn had been Minister of the Economy and Fabius was a former Prime Minister, but the relatively unknown Royal nonetheless commanded an early lead in polls.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary, Campaign
Strauss-Kahn and Fabius each had solid blocs of political support, but Royal had a much larger audience. She was a relentless campaigner, highly regarded for her personal charm, and her novel quality of sex appeal helped to bestow her with a celebrity status far beyond that of her rivals. She effectively employed the Internet, adroitly using social media outlets and popularizing her own Desirs D'avenir political website. Fortified by a host of supportive bloggers, Royal's saturated Internet presence helped her to hold popular attention and maintain momentum in the race.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary, Campaign
The candidates participated in three televised public debates, as well as three internal party debates among members only. Royal held onto a sizable lead, though it eroded steadily through the final weeks.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary, Voting
The primary vote took place among the party's 219,000 members on 16 November 2006, with over 80% of eligible voters casting ballots. Royal won by a wide margin with 108,807 votes, 60.6% of the total, while Strauss-Kahn and Fabius divided the remainder almost evenly. With this victory, Royal became the first woman candidate of a major party to stand for the Presidency of France.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary, Aftermath
Royal campaigned vigorously through the 2007 presidential election, but lost to conservative UMP candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, obtaining 46.9% of the final vote.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary, Aftermath
After her defeat, many party members openly disesteemed the primary system, which was new to the Socialists and only used once before. Royal's unexpectedly powerful victory in the primary was criticized as a failure of the system. Widely varying plans to redesign the 2011 primary coalesced into a grand bargain which would allow certain non-members of the party to cast ballots: in a process both experimental and controversial, voting rights for 2011 were made available (for a nominal registration fee) to any party "sympathizer". Approximately 2.5 million people cast ballots in the presidential primary of 2011, more than a tenfold increase in the number of voters from 2006.


2006 French Socialist Party presidential primary, Aftermath
All three of the main contenders remained active and influential in French politics long after the 2006 primary. Fabius assumed the office of Foreign Minister in 2012. Strauss-Kahn became head of the International Monetary Fund and in early 2011 was considered the frontrunner for the primary, but ultimately he decided not to run. Royal retained her regional leadership in Poitou-Charentes and even pursued a second presidential nomination in 2011, albeit with limited results.


2006 French motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2006 French motorcycle Grand Prix was the fifth race of the 2006 Motorcycle Grand Prix season. It took place on the weekend of 19–21 May 2006 at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit.


2006 French motorcycle Grand Prix, Championship standings after the race (MotoGP)
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round five has concluded.


2006 Fresno State Bulldogs football team
The 2006 Fresno State football team represented California State University, Fresno in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California and were coached by Pat Hill. The outcome of the 2006 season was a 4–8 record, the worst for Fresno State football since 1978, when the Bulldogs went 3–8. The Bulldogs lost all four non-conference games and also missed out on a bowl game for the first time in seven years. The Bulldogs also lost to rival San Jose State for the first time since 1990.


2006 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series
The 2006 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series was an Australian motor racing series for V8 Supercars. It was the seventh annual V8 Supercar Development Series. It began on 24 March 2006 at Adelaide Street Circuit and finished on 10 December at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit after seven rounds held across four different states.


2006 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series
The series was dominated by a single driver, with Howard Racing Ford Falcon driver Adam Macrow winning eight of the 18 races and five of the seven rounds. Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon driver Andrew Thompson won the remaining two rounds, including three race wins. An inconsistent start to the series saw him only eighth in the pointscore which placed a heavy emphasis on finishing over winning. Young Perkins Motorsport Holden Commodore drivers Shane Price and Jack Perkins finished second and third in the series, with Price taking two race wins. The only other multiple race winner was Kayne Scott who won two reverse grid races.


2006 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series
The series was marred by a fatal accident at the Mount Panorama round where David Clark crashed into the stationary car of Mark Porter. Clark was seriously injured in the collision while Porter died in the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital two days after the accident.


2006 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, Teams and drivers
A record number of competitors took part in the 2006 series with the Queensland Raceway round over-subscribed with 41 cars entering, forcing the slowest qualifiers to sit out the racing. The following teams and drivers have competed during the 2006 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series:


2006 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, Points system
The series consisted of seven rounds across four different states. Rounds 2, 3, 4 and 5 consisted of three races each. The second race of each weekend saw the finishing order of race 1 reversed to form the grid for a 'reverse grid' race. Point allocated for the reverse grid race were worth half as much as were the first and third races of these rounds. Rounds 1, 6 and 7 each consisted of two races.


2006 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, Points system
Points were awarded for cars who finished in the top 32 race positions in each race according to finishing order. With cars finishing races as low as 37th, there were numerous occasions during the season were cars did not receive points for finishing races.


2006 Fukagawa mayoral election
Fukagawa held a mayoral election on October 1, 2006. Junkichi Kawano was elected but later arrested for bid-rigging forcing a by-election in January, see 2007 Fukagawa mayoral by-election.


2006 Fukuoka mayoral election
The city of Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan held a mayoral election on November 19, 2006. Hiroshi Yoshida, nominated by the DPJ and the SDP won over incumbent Hirotaro Yamasaki, backed by LDP


2006 Fukushima gubernatorial election
Fukushima held a gubernatorial election on November 12, 2006. Yuhei Sato, supported by the DPJ and SDP was re-elected.


2006 Fórmula Truck season
The 2006 Fórmula Truck season was the 11th Fórmula Truck season. It began on March 19 at Caruaru and ended on December 10 at Brasília.


2006 G20 ministerial meeting
The 2006 G-20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors was held in Melbourne between 18 and 19 November 2006. Issues discussed included  "the outlook for the global economy; developments in resource markets and ways to improve their efficiency; the impact of demographic change on global financial markets; and further reform of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank."


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, Venue
The Grand Hyatt Melbourne Hotel was the venue for most of the events and was also the location where most of the dignitaries stayed. this year countries like Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, America and the European Union


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, Security
Security throughout Melbourne was extremely tight for the duration of the summit. As of midnight 14 November parking was banned throughout the eastern CBD surrounding the Grand Hyatt.


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, Security
Concern had been sparked that Victoria Police may be overstretched due to the large number of events in Melbourne that weekend, on top of the G20 summit there was a U2 concert at the Telstra Dome and a 'Make Poverty History' concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Victoria Police also warned that protesters may attempt to occupy inner-city buildings, and they recommended "corporations (should) consider hiring extra security."


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, G20 Meeting
In a first for the G20 meeting, an elite business group was able to address the Finance Ministers and Reserve Bank leaders. A new organisation, the Energy and Minerals Business Council comprising BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and many of the world's most powerful mining and oil companies met in the same hotel and could lobby G20 delegates over a business lunch.


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, G20 Meeting
The meeting of finance ministers in their communique called for free markets in oil and other forms of energy, and warned that economic policy needed to be tightened to reign in big deficits and 'easy money'. "We need to take advantage of the present strength in the global economy to get policy settings right," they declared in their statement.


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, G20 Meeting
The ministers rejected Australia's timetable for reforming the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, but reiterated their commitment to reform.


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, G20 Meeting
Climate change was not on the formal agenda, but a strong push by chief secretary to the British Treasury, Stephen Timms forced global warming and the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change to be briefly discussed as part of the context of promoting free markets as the way to energy security. The G20 communique said "We discussed the links between energy and climate change policy, including the role of market-based mechanisms, and agreed that the G-20 would monitor this issue."


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, G20 Meeting
Development aid was also given only brief discussion despite calls for development aid to be increased by Oxfam and other non-governmental organisations.


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, Protests
On Friday the 17th there were several invasions in buildings by small bands of protesters in Melbourne, such as Orica where over 100 protesters occupied the chemical services department, delivering a letter to the general manager for mining chemicals, and faxing it to communities along a cyanide transport route. All ANZ branches in the Melbourne CBD were closed during the afternoon of 17 November due to protest action against ANZ investment in military industries.


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, Protests, Behaviour of protestors
The main anti-globalisation protest was organised by the StopG20 coalition for Saturday 18 November. This march stopped at the police barricades in Russell Street where a festive carnival atmosphere prevailed. Some protesters moved to other streets, where confrontations with the police occurred, while most protesters who went to the main rally and march went home never being aware of the confrontations on other streets until they watched the news that evening.


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, Protests, Behaviour of protestors
On Collins and Russell Streets, barricades were ripped down and pushed at riot police who were called in to help quell the situation. A militant group of protesters known as the Arterial Bloc, dressed in white clothing with hoods covering their faces, collected industrial bins and dumpsters and used Melbourne's tram tracks to slide them into barricades and police, resulting in minor injuries to several police, the most serious being a broken wrist. At one stage a police riot truck was attacked with its windows smashed. By 15:00 local time, the nearby Grand Hyatt had gone into 'lock down'. The organizers of the protesters had expected up to 10,000 people to come, however the number of people that showed was slightly over 3,000.


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, Protests, Police response
A preliminary report by an independent human rights observer team noted "high level overall of police discipline and restraint in the face of deliberately provocative actions by some protesters, lasting many hours" and "Police command were seen to be encouraging the consideration of force as a staged option, rather than as a first response, which is to be commended." However the report noted that "Our timeline analysis points to a decline in police restraint over a period of time".


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, Protests, Police response
On Sunday police executed a baton charge against a group of anti-G20 protesters at the Melbourne Museum causing injuries to one person requiring an ambulance. The same day, non-uniformed police detained a man, Drasko Bolejevic, after he was mistakenly identified as being involved with the G20 protests. Mr Bolejevic alleged he was abused and assaulted before being released from custody without charge two hours later.


2006 G20 ministerial meeting, Protests, Operation Salver
Victoria Police set up Operation Salver to investigate further possible charges from the G20 protest. In January 2007 police released to the media 28 photos of 'persons of interest' to their investigation. As of March 2007, 40 people have been arrested over the protest on charges including riot, affray, and criminal damage.


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship
The 2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, (also known as the Railway Cup or The Martin Donnelly Cup was a Gaelic Athletic Association competition between the four provinces of the Island of Ireland. The 2006 football final was held at Boston in the United States of America and the hurling final was played at Pearse Stadium, Galway, Ireland on October, 2006. 2006s interprovincial championship finished with Leinster claiming the Martin Donnelly cup in both hurling and Gaelic football.


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, Football, Leinster v Ulster
Leinster made the Boston final due to a win over Ulster at Kingspan Breffni Park. The game was refereed by P Russell from Tipperary.


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, Football, Connacht v Munster
Connacht qualified for the Martin Donnelly football final in Boston following a thrilling extra-time victory over Munster at Ballyforan, Co. Roscommon on Friday, October 6, 2006. The game was refereed by  J McKee from Armagh.


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, Football, Final
Team:G Connaughton (Gk)A FennellyB CahillM Ennis C KingC MoranK SlatteryB Quigley P Clancy (0-1)D LallyJ Doyle (0-3, 1 free)M Carpenter (1-2)C Keaney (0-4, 3 frees)J Sheridan (1-2)B Kavanagh (0-1)


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, Football, Final
Match rules:70 minutes. Replay if scores still level. Maximum of 5 substitutions.


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, Football, Final
Team:D ClarkeD Heaney (0-1)F Hanley D BurkeS DalyD BlakeS McDermottP HarteD BradyA KerinsG BradyA Dillon (0-2, 1 free)C Mortimer (0-5, 4 frees)M Mheehan (1-1, 1 '45) D Savage


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, Hurling, Leinster v Ulster
The game which was played on Saturday, October 14, 2006 was refereed by M Haverty from Galway.


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, Hurling, Connacht v Munster
The game which was played on Sunday, October 15, 2006 was refereed by Brian Gavin from Offaly.


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, Hurling, Final
The hurling final is to be played as a curtain raiser to the International rules football first test at Pearse Stadium, Galway on October 28.


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, Hurling, Final
Team:B Mullins (Offaly)R Mullally (Kilkenny)J Tennyson (Kilkenny)J Ryall ( Kilkenny)Diarmuid Lyng (Wexford)R Hanniffy (Offaly)T Walsh (Kilkenny)Derek Lyng (Kilkenny) (0-01)G Hanniffy (Offaly)E Larkin (Kilkenny) (0-02)R Power (Kilkenny) (0-07)D Franks (Offaly)E Brennan (Kilkenny) (0-06)J Bergin (Offaly) (1-03)A Fogarty (Kilkenny) (0-04).


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, Hurling, Final
Substitutes:M Jacob (Wexford)M Travers (Wexford)J Young (Laois)D McCormack (Westmeath)J McCaffrey (Dublin)


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, Hurling, Final
Match rules:70 minutes. Replay if scores still level. Maximum of 5 substitutions.


2006 GAA Interprovincial Championship, Hurling, Final
Team:L DonoghueD JoyceG MahonT Og ReganD CollinsD CloonanJ LeeR Murray (0-01)D Tierney (0-01)I Tannian (0-03)M Kerins (0-01)A KerinsK BurkeE Cloonan (0-09)F Healy (0-02)


2006 GFI Hong Kong Tens
The 2006 GFI Hong Kong Tens was played on Wednesday 29 March and Thursday 30 March 2006, with New Zealand Metro winning the Cup. The Plate was won by PWC Panthers, a team from Australia, while the Bowl was picked up by SCB Asian Cavaliers, a team with members from all round the World. Acorns Rugby Club, from Japan, picked up the Shield.