Saturday, February 7, 2009

Hayden making progress on Ducati

Hayden making progress on Ducati

Nicky Hayden is confident that he can get up to speed on the Ducati, despite finishing the second day of testing at Sepang more than 1.5 seconds slower than teammate Casey Stoner.

The American improved his time by one second from yesterday's running at Sepang and says he is learning how to get the best out of the Desmosedici GP9.

"We made a big improvement immediately this morning on used tyres and I was able knock a second off my best time from yesterday," said Hayden. "We struggled a bit in the afternoon though, and didn't manage to improve any further. I can't push it on the harder compound tyre because it makes the rear move around so much more and the bike becomes unstable.

"At the end of the session we made a little change that improved the situation and I was able to get back onto my better lap times. The Bridgestones are really consistent and that makes our job a lot easier. Today I did 35 laps on the same front tyre without any problems.

"We know and I know that there is a lot of work to be done. Everything is still very new to me - the engine characteristics, the chassis and the tyres, as well as the way the team work together. Obviously it's not easy to put all that together straight away. We're working hard though and the improvements will come."

The test concludes with a third day of running tomorrow.



  • Stoner fastest on day two at Sepang
  • Culture shock just what Rays needed
  • MLB Network signs Vasgersian
  • Hayden delighted after maiden Ducati test
  • No comments: