Nicky Hayden is set to start from sixteenth on the grid after being unsettled by a dramatic change in the track conditions this afternoon. After a tentative first day yesterday, Hayden made improvements this morning and was tenth fastest in the final free practice session. However, with a 15ºC increase in track temperature and the arrival of high winds he was unable to maintain his progress in the afternoon, lapping almost half a second slower than he had in the morning.

NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati Marlboro Team) 16th (1’40.953)

“This morning certainly went a lot better, I thought we’d found a good way forward with the bike but this afternoon I had a very different feeling. The wind certainly didn’t help things but that is the same for everybody. It was very unstable in the fast corners and just not holding the line. We tried our best to fix it but things just didn’t go nearly as smooth as we’d like and we’ve ended up with a difficult grid position.

We’ll see what we can do about it tonight. We’ll make a few small adjustments to the bike, make a few tweaks to the set-up here and there and see how it goes in warm-up. The only thing is that it’s quite cool here in the morning compared to the afternoon and, like today, the feeling with the bike changes a lot without touching a thing. It’s going to be tough but we’ll keep working hard and hopefully be in shape to put on a good show for these incredible fans tomorrow afternoon.”