NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati Marlboro Team) DNF

“That was exactly what we didn’t need. I got a decent start and I think I was up a couple of positions but just going down into the hairpin, which is a slow hard-braking corner, I was on my line and Takahashi just took me down. There was no warning – I didn’t even hear anything!

I don’t want to say much about that, I don’t want to look like a cry-baby but, you know, it was the first lap… luckily I feel okay. I actually landed in the same place on my back as the crash in Qatar and my leathers and helmet have got exactly the same marks.

It’s a shame because this weekend I honestly felt we were making some progress. I felt we had better communication going on and we worked more comfortably from the first day. I know we were never looking at a great result but I felt I could have been competitive today. Anyway, we have to move forward and to look to the next race.”

DNF:
Yuki Takahashi JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Turn 1
Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team Turn 1
Sete Gibernau SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Lap 14

With this morning’s session having been hit by rain, when Ducati Marlboro rider Nicky Hayden lapped t sixth fastest, yesterday afternoon’s cold but dry opening session was decisive, meaning Nicky Hayden will start back in 12th position.

As a result of the reduced track time today, tomorrow’s warm-up has been extended to 40 minutes for the MotoGP class.

NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati Marlboro Team) 12th (1’50.393)

“It’s a shame for everybody to have this situation two races in a row. The fans, the teams, the riders… everybody wants to see us line up out there and go into battle so it’s a real shame. This morning was the first chance I’ve really had to ride the bike in the rain – I’ve ridden it in damp conditions but never really in full rain – and I got steadily faster and faster as the session went on. We made some changes that consistently improved the bike and to be honest with you I was looking forward to qualifying in the wet. I liked my chances better in the wet today and I’m not sure what conditions I’d prefer for the race. The forecast is saying it will be dry and after today I think the fans deserve it. For me the circumstances have been unlucky because I need track time with the bike and tyres, especially when we going to tracks for the first time, but it’s race day tomorrow so whatever the weather brings the aim is to just get a good start, go for it and see what happens. Good to know that the warm up will be 40 minutes!”

Nicky Hayden, who headed into the action with the stitches he had inserted into his chest, shrugged off the discomfort to turn in a productive afternoon’s work, building on the progress made with his own GP9 set-up during the race in Doha.

NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati Marlboro Team) 13th (1’50.393)

“The track was quite slippery when we first went out and the air felt so cold, with the humidity, it felt like it could rain any second. We certainly had to be careful getting some heat into the left side of the rear and into the front. We tried a few things out with the set-up – I ran both bikes and worked in the direction we’d found in Qatar, where the balance of the bike had felt much better in the later laps, with less fuel on board. Obviously the lap time isn’t great but we improved with every run and pretty much every lap, we got a good number laps in just in case it does rain tomorrow and we worked out a basic direction we need to take for the race, so I’m satisfied. “