By BBC Sport Online's
Andrew Benson
The motorsport year was one of new beginnings, of talent fulfilled, and of long-held dreams finally realised. But it was a year of endings too.
All of those things applied in Formula One, which maintains its position as vastly the world's most popular and significant form of motor racing, on four wheels or two.
Michael Schumacher, the best driver for the past seven years, finally achieved his lifetime's ambition and won the world championship for Ferrari.
It was a remarkable accomplishment, partly because it ended a 21-year fallow period for the famous Italian team, but also for how long it had taken him to do it.
Since he joined Ferrari in 1996, the ascetic German had failed repeatedly to win the title. But he has slowly bent the underachieving team to his formidable will, and in 2000 there was no stopping him.
The world saw Schumacher at his best this year. He equalled the record of nine wins in a season held jointly by himself and Nigel Mansell, and repeatedly demonstrated his improvisational genius in doing so.
The final statistics hint at a year in which Schumacher and Ferrari annihilated bitter rivals McLaren and Mika Hakkinen. But the statistics told a lie.
It was yet another tough battle, and but for the odd hiccough by McLaren, the Finn could easily have won his third consecutive title.
These two drivers continued to tower above their peers, despite a mid-season challenge by Hakkinen's team-mate David Coulthard.
The Scot continues to be agonisingly close to establishing himself as a genuine contender for glory, but painfully far away as well.
And just as Hakkinen and Schumacher are the giants of the cockpit, so their respective teams remain out of reach of the chasing pack. If anything, in fact, McLaren and Ferrari were more crushingly superior in 2000 than ever before.
One man who will not be trying to beat them next year is Johnny Herbert, who has quit F1 at the end of a sometimes painful 10 seasons at the top.
The popular Englishman chose to quit rather than face the pain of finding, as was likely at the age of 36, that he was surplus to requirements. He will now pursue a career in the USA.
Elsewhere in the four-wheeled world, a new star burst on to the world rally scene. Marcus Gronholm achieved what many thought would be impossible by winning the world championship in his first full season at the highest level.
The Finn's performance doubtless owed a great deal to the superb Peugeot 206. But he showed a consistent level of excellence that made you wonder how he could have been overlooked for so long.
Britain's Richard Burns was his closest title challenger. He paid tribute to Gronholm's victory, acknowledging that he must up his game and make less mistakes if he is to succeed Gronholm as champion.
The same goes for Colin McRae, who endured a trying year for Ford, punctured by driver errors and mechanical fallibility.
In motorcycle racing, it was a case of out with the old and in with the new.
The blue-riband 500cc world championship truly passed into the hands of a new generation.
Mick Doohan, who had dominated the category for more than five years, quit to become a team owner, and a series of young riders rose to the fore.
The first of them to win the title was Kenny Roberts Jr, the son of the father of the same name who battled with Barry Sheene in the 1970s. He and his biggest rivals this year, Italians Max Biaggi and Loris Capirossi, look set to rule the category for some time to come.
In World Superbikes, it was also a time for change. Four-time champion Carl Fogarty crashed early in the season and the injury to his shoulder was so severe that he was forced later in the year to call it quits.
His crown was taken by American Colin Edwards.
Fogarty was not the only member of the old guard to find time running out. His former great rival, Aaron Slight, was dumped by the Honda team after an indifferent season.
Fogarty was Superbikes' great draw, but British fans' interest at least should be maintained by the graduation of Neil Hodgson from the British championship in 2001.
back to top
