Compared to last year halfway through the season many things have changed for the reigning World MotoGP Champion. Nicky Hayden has gone from leading the top category in 2006 preparing for one of his most important challenges…
>> Audio In spite of this, Hayden is not a rider that gives in easily, and he is going to tackle the GP on his home soil eager to repeat the victory that he has got in the last couple of seasons. He will not have things all his own way; the rider from Kentucky is aware of this.The start of the season as World MotoGP Champion has not been easy, although it seems that your situation is improving, is there finally light at the end of the tunnel? Of course my situation has improved a lot. Third position is not the same as a victory, but obviously it has been fun to be out in front again and simply enjoying the ride. I must thank my team, everybody in the Repsol Honda Team, because I know that it has been quite a frustrating start to the season for all of us, above all if you have been fighting to be World MotoGP Champion. We have changed some things on the bike so as to get better sensations and the boys are working really hard to help do my best. So I hope that from now on I can be with the best every week.Where is the secret or secrets that have allowed you to be competitive again in the last few races? The training sessions in Barcelona helped me a lot. Changing many things on the bike, small things, but I also tried a new chassis out and that helped me get better sensations on the bike. I was able to ride a lot, and I think it was nothing more than that, being able to ride in the way I like. I simply feel much more comfortable on the bike now, more confident and enjoying the ride.Can make some comments about the new chassis? The geometry is the same, but what has changed is the flexibility. It is true that the chassis seems to help a little, but I think that we have made more progress on all the other adjustments. Obviously we have to work hard because we know that we have not got the results we wanted, but I am dying to see what Honda is going to do, because I am sure that they will not accept losing. They make the best bikes in the world.Your home GP is next up and you have the number 1 on your bike, but you are having a difficult season with just one podium finish so far. Do you think that in spite of the bad start to the season you will be the favourite to win the American GP?No, I would not say that this year I am the favourite. I have not won a race this year. Racing on home soil sure helped me out in the first year becaue nobody else knew the track as well as I did. But now everybody knows it and the advantage I had is not so important. I know that there will be a lot fans supporting me I am dying to see if I can win again.When you look back at this time, and you recall where you were 12 months ago, and you look where you are now, What comes into your mind?You cannot really look back like that. It is clear that last year I was going to Laguna at a moment when I was very proud to be leader of the World Championship again. But I also went with a lot of pressure, becaue I had to win that race. If I did not win at home I was going to send the wrong message to my rivals. If I could not win at home, I was not going to be able to fight hard for the title. I worked very hard over the whole weekend and I did not get a good classification, but on the Sunday at 2pm I was able to impose myself and get the victory after a tough race. It was not easy because starting in 6th position, fighting back, then Dani pressurising me, etc. It was not an easy victory, although perhaps it might seem so after winning with quite a big gap over the second placed rider. But that was a really tough race. The physical preparation helped me a lot and I am very proud of that victory.Now you are out out of this year`s title fight how is Nicky Hayden going to tackle the second half of the season?Now the points are not so important. So I just want to enjoy myself and have a good time. I am simply going to go out to race, work with my team and try to improve. I will take things race by race to get the best classification possible and in some way try to make the rest of the season a little more exciting for me, fighting to be in the leading group without worrying about the points. Just racing.There has been a lot of talk about the new tyre regulations. From the perspective that having raced a few times with this new situation gives you, What opinion would you venture concerning this new rule? Obviously it would be easy for me to say that I do not like this new rule because I think it helps Bridgestone, and this is my enemy. I am telling you straight out. From the start I did not like this rule for the tyres. In a high level sport like this, with the best bikes, the best circuits and I think the best riders, I think putting a limit on the tyres is something more suited to a cup for promotion. Sincerely I think that before introducing a new regulation for the tyres it would be better to just have one make, becuase I think that it is very difficult to race this year. I do not know why they make so many rules. Now they want to add another new one concerning the classification tyres. It is like a nursery, the only thing they do is make rules. Many journalists and ex riders like Schwantz, Rainey and Kenny Roberts have not hesitated to say that traction control has put an end to overtaking, sliding and the whole MotoGP spectacle, and the really talented riders cannot impose themselves like before. What is your opinion about this? Technology is going to continue advancing. The bikes are better now and that means that street bikes are also better. I think that some of my advantages that came from being an ex dirt track rider have disappeared. Now on TV you cannot see smoking tyres, you do not see the big arcs to get the line before taking a curve. I think I am going to miss the old riding style a bit.Could you comment, from the seat of your Honda, how you see the the handling on the Yamaha ridden by Valentino and the Ducati ridden by Stoner on curves, accelerating, braking? I would say that the Ducati on the long straights is very fast. It gets into fourth and fifth gears and you think that they it is going to take off. But Stoner is doing well at all the circuits, although they do not all have long straights. The Yamaha seems to be very balanced. It changes direction quite well, very gently, and even though it does not get a really unusual top speed it accelerates very well out of curves. From the exit of a curve to halfway down a straight it recovers enough time so that it does not lose so much on the remainder of the straight. What it lacks in top speed it gains with the acceleration. Moreover, Valentino is riding it, and that helps.You are going to race at Laguna Seca this weekend and one of your rivals will be your own brother Roger Lee. Have you given him any advice? I have not really given him any advice. I am sure that once we are there and things start we may make some comments to each other about something. But Roger likes to do things his own way. He went to Japan to test, but it rained most of the time. I can`t wait because I think it is going to be fun. There will be other riders from the AMA. This is good for American fans and will give those boys a chance.After winning the World Championship, and with what has happened so far this season, Do you think that Nicky Hayden has changed, as a rider? Has he matured, is he the same, is he stronger?I do not think that I have fogotten how to ride or anything like that. I simply think that the problem was that I was not happy with the bike. Sincerely, I look at myself in the mirror and I think I have done things well. I still feel like a World Champion, and if I have this number it is becasuse there is a reason.
