- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
MotoGP
MOTOGP: Hayden Looking To Be #1 Again
Nicky Hayden has an opportunity to remind the world of his title-winning talent in 2013.
Ducati Team's Nicky Hayden (Photo: Ducati Corse)
During his decade competing at the pinnacle of two-wheeled sport, Nicky Hayden has both enjoyed his own triumphs and witnessed the triumphs of others.
He grew from Valentino Rossi's kid teammate to the man who took him down at the height of his powers to claim the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. Hayden also saw the rise, reign, and retirement of Casey Stoner, suffered due to the emergence of Honda golden boy Dani Pedrosa, and scrapped for all his might to keep pace following the bar-raising arrival of Jorge Lorenzo.
And while he had his ups and downs over those ten years, the American remained remarkably (if sometimes quietly) competitive over that span, holding onto factory equipment throughout his MotoGP career and running strong enough to fight his way onto the box each season. That is until this past year, a difficult campaign in which his career-long podium streak was snapped, but also one that may have bolstered his reputation somewhat, as he frequently outpaced teammate Rossi while armed with equally outgunned equipment.
Hayden will be back on works machinery again in 2013, remaining with the embattled Ducati program while Rossi moves on. And for the first time several seasons, Hayden will not be an obvious '#2 rider,' a role he's played to his detriment for years. And not only to the legendary Rossi but also the uniquely talented Stoner and the aforementioned Pedrosa, who was gifted the position of HRC #1 even when that very number was emblazoned on the front of Hayden's pint-sized RC211V in 2007.
There's genuine opportunity in that fact, as Hayden now eyes teammate Andrea Dovizioso as his new inter-squad teammate/rival, as both men will look to take the reins and steer development in hopes of unleashing the potential of Ducati's Desmosedici.
While team managers and riders don't often like to talk about paddock politics or even admit the existence of a hierarchy, Hayden laughed at the notion that everyone gets a fair shake and equal treatment.
He said, "It's a great line… 'Oh, there is no #1 rider, no #2 rider.' Well, there is -- in every team. I'm sure that will be the case here as well, so I need to step up and put my name on top. I'm going to try to push that way (to guide development).
"I've said it all along and I really believe it; we've had two bad years, but there is no reason why -- with this engineering, this sponsor, this team -- that we can't have just as good a bike as anyone on the grid, and if we hit everything right, have the best bike on the grid.
"The bike now is a lot better all-around -- more comfortable, more natural… closer to the Japanese I'd say. We fixed the pumping, which when I first got on it was the thing; I had never ridden anything like that. Some of the things now, I'm probably used to, but I'd say it's a lot closer to the Japanese bikes and they feel the same.
"I think I helped a lot -- that's one the things I pushed for. Before, even to work on, it was crazy watching them work on the bikes. Now they work on them in a similar way. I don't feel we're as far away as it maybe looks.
"If I thought it was crazy and an impossible task, I would have stayed home. I don't really need the money and I wouldn't come back if I thought I was going to run around in sixth place all season."
He grew from Valentino Rossi's kid teammate to the man who took him down at the height of his powers to claim the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. Hayden also saw the rise, reign, and retirement of Casey Stoner, suffered due to the emergence of Honda golden boy Dani Pedrosa, and scrapped for all his might to keep pace following the bar-raising arrival of Jorge Lorenzo.
And while he had his ups and downs over those ten years, the American remained remarkably (if sometimes quietly) competitive over that span, holding onto factory equipment throughout his MotoGP career and running strong enough to fight his way onto the box each season. That is until this past year, a difficult campaign in which his career-long podium streak was snapped, but also one that may have bolstered his reputation somewhat, as he frequently outpaced teammate Rossi while armed with equally outgunned equipment.
Hayden will be back on works machinery again in 2013, remaining with the embattled Ducati program while Rossi moves on. And for the first time several seasons, Hayden will not be an obvious '#2 rider,' a role he's played to his detriment for years. And not only to the legendary Rossi but also the uniquely talented Stoner and the aforementioned Pedrosa, who was gifted the position of HRC #1 even when that very number was emblazoned on the front of Hayden's pint-sized RC211V in 2007.
There's genuine opportunity in that fact, as Hayden now eyes teammate Andrea Dovizioso as his new inter-squad teammate/rival, as both men will look to take the reins and steer development in hopes of unleashing the potential of Ducati's Desmosedici.
While team managers and riders don't often like to talk about paddock politics or even admit the existence of a hierarchy, Hayden laughed at the notion that everyone gets a fair shake and equal treatment.
He said, "It's a great line… 'Oh, there is no #1 rider, no #2 rider.' Well, there is -- in every team. I'm sure that will be the case here as well, so I need to step up and put my name on top. I'm going to try to push that way (to guide development).
"I've said it all along and I really believe it; we've had two bad years, but there is no reason why -- with this engineering, this sponsor, this team -- that we can't have just as good a bike as anyone on the grid, and if we hit everything right, have the best bike on the grid.
"The bike now is a lot better all-around -- more comfortable, more natural… closer to the Japanese I'd say. We fixed the pumping, which when I first got on it was the thing; I had never ridden anything like that. Some of the things now, I'm probably used to, but I'd say it's a lot closer to the Japanese bikes and they feel the same.
"I think I helped a lot -- that's one the things I pushed for. Before, even to work on, it was crazy watching them work on the bikes. Now they work on them in a similar way. I don't feel we're as far away as it maybe looks.
"If I thought it was crazy and an impossible task, I would have stayed home. I don't really need the money and I wouldn't come back if I thought I was going to run around in sixth place all season."
Latest Gallery
LATEST HEADLINES: MOTO-RACING
-
MOTOGP: '14 RCV Could Debut This Season
The all-new 2014 RC213V could be utilized for Dani Pedrosa and Marc… -
AMA DSB: BMP Set For SportBike Showdown
Rising ace Cameron Beaubier leads the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike… -
MOTOGP: Rossi Calls Out Bautista
Valentino Rossi has had enough of Alvaro Bautista's ill-advised attempts… -
WSBK: Kawasaki Tests At Aragon
The Kawasaki Racing Team made another step forward in the development… -
AMA SBK: Cardenas Leads Superbike Field To BMP
Yoshimura Suzuki's Martin Cardenas returns to the scene of his first-career… -
MOTOGP: Lorenzo Fastest In Post-GP Test
Jorge Lorenzo was quickest at Catalunya where the Suzuki development… -
MOTOGP: Suzuki Lays Out Plan Of Attack
Suzuki MotoGP boss Satoru explained the reason behind the firm's… - More News
