Nicky Hayden continued his sterling work at Sepang today, once again riding more laps than anyone else at the Malaysian circuit. In gruelling tropical heat (ambient 35 degrees, track 51 degrees) the Repsol Honda rider rode 66 laps, cutting more than four tenths off his previous best time from yesterday. Hayden spent most of the day evaluating HRC’s latest RC212V engine with pneumatic valves, having spent yesterday using an engine with conventional valves.
The 2006 MotoGP World Champion was Repsol Honda’s lone rider today, his team-mate Dani Pedrosa is in Barcelona, Spain, awaiting surgery. The Spaniard broke a bone in his right hand when he fell here yesterday afternoon. Dr Xavier Mir at the Clinica Dexeus is expected to operate on the injury this afternoon. It is not yet known when Pedrosa will be able to ride again.
Nicky Hayden, 2’02.102 seg, 66 vueltas, 366 Km.
“We used the standard engine in the morning. I set my fastest lap, then we started using the pneumatic-valve engine after about 25 laps. With that engine the bike did feel more like the prototype I rode last November, I guess because the bike was designed to have that engine, so maybe the extra weight makes it work a bit better. We did have a few little issues with the engine, it’s got smoother power and more rpm but top speed is a bit down, plus I was coming in every 12 laps to check the system so it wasn’t so easy to get into a rhythm. But I think the pneumatic valves are the way to go because that engine’s got more potential. We also tested a clutch with the pneumatic-valve engine, plus some setting parts and fuel injection, more engine type of stuff. We stayed on race tyres all day and made a little bit of progress, four tenths or so. We also tested a couple of tyres, I tried a 16 rear but the balance of the bike wasn’t right with that tyre, so we need to look at the data and see what’s happening. Now we’re going to sit down, talk about it and see which engine we’re going to use tomorrow”.
