Andrea Dovizioso's victory was the latest - and potentially final - tale of the unexpected to be played out at Donington Park, as 23 years of motorcycle Grand Prix drama at the Leicestershire circuit came to a fitting close on Sunday.
During a nostalgic weekend, Kevin Schwantz was on hand to regale us with the inside story of his final career victory here in 1994, when he had to hold the throttle open down the straights with his left hand - despite a dislocated wrist - just to shake some feeling back into his fractured right hand.
Paddock wags also reminisced about Wayne Gardner's only victory of his final season in 1992, which came shortly after announcing his retirement, and Simon Crafar's shock defeat of Mick Doohan in 1998.
Crafar's pole position, fastest lap and race win sweep was astounding not only because it was achieved on Dunlop tyres, who had not won for three years in an era dominated by Michelin, but also because it was Yamaha's first in 23 races.
Even fresher in the memory lies Ralf Waldmann's 250cc victory in torrential conditions in 2000, when he made up over a minute in the final five laps to beat Olivier Jacque by 0.3 seconds.
Those memories were stirred by the fact that Waldmann, now 43, actually rode on Sunday in place of the injured Russian rider Vladimir Leonov.
That same season, Valentino Rossi took the first of his 101 premier-class victories so far following an unforgettable battle with our own Jeremy McWilliams and the Italian somehow bettered that the following year to beat pole man Max Biaggi with a stunning ride from eleventh on the grid.
Most recently, 15-year-old Scott Redding's debut victory last year will live long in the memory of any British fan and his podium on Sunday, which he rated as an even bigger achievement under the circumstances, will be equally cherished.
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