Nicky Hayden is hoping his upturn in form so far this season will go a long way to dispelling memories of his struggles during the 2009 Italian Grand Prix, his first ‘home’ race for Ducati.
The American qualified 16th and finished 12th last season, a result that contributed to what had become a difficult start to [...]
Nicky Hayden is hoping his upturn in form so far this season will go a long way to dispelling memories of his struggles during the 2009 Italian Grand Prix, his first ‘home’ race for Ducati.
The American qualified 16th and finished 12th last season, a result that contributed to what had become a difficult start to life as a Ducati rider.
However, twelve months on and Hayden has revived his fortunes, gelling well with the GP10 to take on team leader Casey Stoner and sit fifth in the standings with a trio of fourth place finishes to his name.
With this in mind, he is confident he can make amends for last year with a much better performance for his employers.
“I can’t wait to go to Mugello and banish the memory of last year, when I was quite slow in front of the Italian fans and so many people from Ducati. Actually things went better in the race than they had done in practice but then I suffered a problem with my rear brake and the result was anything but good.
“We’re going into a run of races that could be quite decent for us and we’re confident. Mugello is a circuit that can be really nice to ride or really tough, depending on whether you can get your bike working well and have a good set-up.
“If you manage that you can have some serious fun. I’m expecting to see a lot of Ducati fans so hopefully I can have fun and they can too.”
The 62nd edition of the MotoGP World Championship fires up on the 11th April and for the third consecutive season the curtain raiser will take place at night, under floodlights, in Qatar. The Ducati MotoGP Team head to Losail confident in the work they have done during winter testing but well aware that the competition [...]
The 62nd edition of the MotoGP World Championship fires up on the 11th April and for the third consecutive season the curtain raiser will take place at night, under floodlights, in Qatar. The Ducati MotoGP Team head to Losail confident in the work they have done during winter testing but well aware that the competition is tough and the level even higher than ever.
Both Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden have shown their appreciation for the technical modifications brought to the Ducati Desmosedici GP10 by Filippo Preziosi, in particular the new “big bang” engine. Both riders are looking to repeat their excellent preseason form when they take to the Losail circuit for the first time on Friday evening, as the 2010 season finally roars into life.
Nicky Hayden, Ducati MotoGP Team
“Finally the first race is here! We seem to have started later than everybody else and I don’t know if I could have waited any longer! Testing went fairly well – we met some of our objectives and still have a lot of work to do in other areas but overall I’m satisfied. We established a good base setting in Qatar and hopefully we can use that for the first race. It has been a couple of years since I made a good start to the season but I feel in good shape, the team are fully behind me and I can’t wait to get started.”
Nicky Hayden heads to a track on which he has a proven record of success when the American takes to the Phillip Island asphalt this weekend.
Ducati Marlboro rider Nicky Hayden is brimming with enthusiasm ahead of this weekend’s Iveco Australian Grand Prix, having enjoyed three podium finishes ‘Down Under’ to date.
Hayden has a top-ten finish for the 2009 MotoGP season well within his sights, having steadily improved his form throughout the campaign after a tough start.
The Kentucky Kid is targeting another strong finish at Phillip Island after coming in third last year at the circuit, and with the track record to his name it is a venue which inspires the 2006 World Champion.
“Phillip Island is a track and place I really like. The track is great – it’s fast, flowing and a lot of fun,” said Hayden, who has twice qualified on pole position there. “I hope we can get some decent weather because the place can be really challenging when it’s cold – there are not so many right-hand corners so it can take a few laps to heat and scuff the right side of the tyre. I also enjoy the flyaways at the end of the year because it’s a little different in terms of atmosphere with all the teams traveling together and staying in the same hotels – you see a different side of people.”
“So we’ve got three more races left before the end of the season and I really hope and need to make another step up toward the front. I really need to dig deep and try to make it happen.”
Livio Suppo, the MotoGP Project Director at Ducati Marlboro, is hoping Hayden and his team-mate Casey Stoner – who has won at Phillip Island for the last two years – repeat their past glories. The pair enjoyed an entertaining battle last year when Hayden was still riding a Honda.
“It is always nice to go to Philip Island. It is a magical track and it is full of fantastic memories for our team. Last year Casey and Nicky had a great battle for the lead over several laps and it would be a dream come true to see them recreate that on their Ducatis,” said Suppo.
