Nicky Hayden returns to the circuit of Laguna Seca this weekend to race another American GP. On a track where the rider from Kentucky is almost unbeatable – two victories in the two MotoGP races – Hayden reveals some of the secrets of Laguna Seca.
>> Audio>> Map Laguna SecaLaguna SecaLength 3.61km.Pole position: Left hand sideRight handers: 4Left handers: 7Longest straight: 0.966km.Home straight ‘It is called the Home straight but it is not really straight in fact it is slightly curved and it takes you to the most frightening zone in MotoGP. It is definitively the strangest…’Curve 1 ‘This curve has an adverse camber and you are in 5th gear. The front wheel wants to lift off the ground and there is one moment when both tyres want to leave the ground, and they do so, so you just have to wait for it to stabilise during the downwards slope and then you accelerate again.’Curve 2 ‘You have to drop down to 2nd gear. You have to take it fast – almost too fast – and then take the bike to the inside, controlling it and lowering the power as much as possible.’Curve 3’You have to be careful here above all on the 1st lap and make sure that the front tyre is hot. This is a flat curve and you cannot gain much time here; you just have to take it well and get ready for the next one.’Curve 4 ‘This is a really fast curve, faster than it looks, and it is quite important because it opens out into a straight.’Curve 5’Braking when enterinng this curve is a good place to overtake, it is a curve on an upwards slope, which means that you can take it fast. It is very important to do it well as it prepares you for the next one – blind and upwards.’Curve 6 ‘Braking for this curve means that the bike`s weight moves and it feels light and free. There is a small slope in the middle and you have to wait for the bike to be stable, take the slope downwards and then accelerate for the climb. It is an important ascent with a change of camber, it takes you to the ‘Corkscrew’. The Corkscrew (Curve 7) ‘There is nothing similar in the world to this and from here on in everything can happen very fast. There the ground really disappears in front of you and you have to hope that you arrive with the right speed. You make a lot of physical effort because the bike wants to go to the left but you have to oblige it to go to the right using your strength.’The Rainey Curve (8)’I really enjoy the challenge of the ‘Corkscrew’, but this one is probably my favourite curve at the circuit. It goes downwards but to one side so you have to have a good line so that you can take advantage of the power and get the most out of the curve.’Curve 9 ‘This curve is very important because it takes you to the final curve, which is the best place to overtake, so you have to do it well to make sure that you get a good line for the fork.’Curve 10 ‘On the last curve all you do is brake, brake, brake and try to keep the back wheel on the ground. It is probably the curve that has the highest probability of a fall on the circuit, because it is bumpy and you are braking for a long time. This catches some riders by surprise – it has happened to me many times. Then you just have to get the bike up straight and keep the front wheel on the ground and then accelerate all you can to go up the slope to curve 1.’
