Nicky Hayden, the defending World Champion, has had a torrid time this year, but the American ace has never let his head drop and after notching up three podium finishes in the second half of this season, the genial Kentucky Kid would really like to get back to winning ways with a victory in Motegi – where he scored his first ever podium way back in 2003.

Nicky Hayden

“This track has been a bit up and down for me in the past. I’ve had a few good rides here and also a few that weren’t so good. This time it’s a short turn around coming straight from Europe into Japan and we had a decent weekend in Portugal so I’m looking forward to the next one.

Japan is always an exciting GP because it’s in the home country of most of the manufacturers, including Honda, which definitely adds a bit of an edge to it. Plus the Japanese fans are pretty cool and they’re always really good to me.

The track has a lot of straights and our bike has been running better lately, especially in cooler conditions so hopefully the weather will be kind to us and give us cooler temperatures.”