Former factory rider offers his unique perspective on the blistering performance of the new Italian V-four.
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Ductalk: What's Up In The World Of Ducati
Ducati News Roundup Curated by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
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Former factory rider offers his unique perspective on the blistering performance of the new Italian V-four.
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Nicky Hayden admits that he is not happy with the results he has had during his stint with Ducati, and is ready for a fresh start with Power Electronics Aspar next season.
Still not throwing dirt. This is a what a professional looks like...
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I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that while riders come and riders go there’s always been a special place in my heart for Nicky. Even when he was with Honda in AMA, I can remember buying magazines I might have saved my money on because of a story or photo of him doing something with a bike that didn’t seem possible. The guy was (is) good. And he was (is) nice
For the rest click HERE
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Nicky Hayden has complete faith that Ducati can turn its MotoGP fortunes around, even though he thinks an enormous step is needed to get back on terms with the leaders.
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“I do like the track, and it's one of the calendar's great GPs” - Nicky Hayden.
Nicky Hayden may only have stood on the Catalunya podium once during his nine visits, but that doesn't stop the American admiring one of the MotoGP's 'great' events.
Hayden finished runner-up at Catalunya for Honda during his 2006 title winning season - in a restarted-race following a huge accident involving Ducati team-mates Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau heading into turn on.
Hayden's own three visits as a Ducati rider have yielded a best result of eighth.
“Although I've struggled a bit at Catalunya the last few years, I do like the track, and it's one of the calendar's great GPs,” said Hayden....
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/180271/1/hayden_one_of_the_great_motogps.html
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The Ducati Team is preparing for Sunday’s Catalan Grand Prix at the wonderful Circuit de Catalunya, which hosts the second of four MotoGP races held in Spain this season.
The circuit is one of Valentino Rossi’s favorites, having served as the scene for nine of his victories, and while Nicky Hayden has only achieved one podium finish at the track, he also appreciates its fast, open layout.
In addition to working on a race setup, the riders and the Ducati Team engineers, headed by Filippo Preziosi, will try to confirm that the development work on the Desmosedici GP12 is heading in the right direction. On Monday, they’ll also take part in a post-race test.
VALENTINO ROSSI, Ducati Team
“Two Sundays ago, we got a nice result because we took advantage of the wet track, a condition in which we know we can be competitive, but we’re aware that we must continue improving in normal, dry conditions. Some of the things we tried in the Mugello test last week seemed promising. It will be interesting to try them on a different track, and with must less time to set the bike up, to see if they’re really a small step forward. The Catalunya circuit has always been one of my favorites, and although it’s hard to imagine another podium, we must still do our best to finish with the front riders.”
NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Team
“Although I’ve struggled a bit at Catalunya the last few years, I do like the track, and it’s one of the calendar’s great GPs. It’s pretty wide, open and fast, and it’s really important to have good edge grip, especially in the last bit with all the long right-handers. Luckily we got some good weather in Mugello and were able to test a few things with setup, and I look forward to taking them to a race to see if we’ve really done any progress.”
VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager
“First of all, I’d like to extend a thought to the people who were affected by the earthquake that struck the Emilia Romagna region, which we’re all deeply attached to, and in which Ducati and its workers are located. As for our work, we’ll continue giving our all. We’re going to Catalunya, which is a fast track with big, long corners that require good grip. It’s a good opportunity to check the work we’ve been doing. At Le Mans we confirmed that we’re competitive in the wet, but our main goal is still to reduce the gap to the front in the dry.”
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American Nicky Hayden is hopeful that an upgraded electronics package will help increase the pace of his Ducati Desmosedici GP12.
Nicky Hayden will use an upgraded electronics package that helps smooth the aggressive power delivery of the Ducati GP12 in Sunday's Catalunya Grand Prix.
But he has played down hopes that a new engine specification is an instant answer to some of Ducati's problems. Hayden has also put aside plans to switch to the latest spec swingarm that, along with the engine, was introduced at last week's crucial private test session at Mugello in Italy.
Hayden confirmed the inescapable trend in MotoGP that sophisticated engine management computer programs, not revised internals, are crucial to performance.
"There is a lot to be gained from electronics," Hayden said. "Two of the electronics items we tried at the Mugello test should make the engine a little smoother on the bottom....for more - http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-hayden-passes-on-new-spec-motor/
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Valentino Rossi was a protagonist in an exciting, hard-fought race in wet conditions during the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, where he climbed from the third row of the grid to the second step of the podium. Nicky Hayden, despite an unfortunate start, worked his way up to sixth by the finish.... For the rest of this story click on the headline
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Nicky Hayden emerged on top of a four-rider fight for sixth place to be the leading Ducati competitor during Sunday's season-opening Qatar MotoGP night race.
Hayden, Hector Barbera, Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista swapped places repeatedly during the closing stages, with Hayden crossing the line just a fraction ahead of Bautista's Gresini Honda.
Hayden, the 2006 world champion, was 28 seconds from victory, but felt he had the potential to bridge the eleven seconds gap to Monster Yamaha tech 3 riders Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso.
“I felt we had the potential to run with Dovizioso and Crutchlow, but considering my injuries and limited testing over the winter, I guess sixth is pretty good,” said Hayden. More here: http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/178413/1/hayden_i_guess_sixth_is_pretty_good.html
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Nicky Hayden takes part in the MotoGP 2012 Qatar Free Practice...
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The Ducati Team riders will get to measure the progress of the Desmosedici GP12 against its competitors in a Grand Prix setting when the first round gets underway in Qatar this Thursday.
More...
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Nicky Hayden, Ducati Marlboro Team - 23 March 2012...
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Nicky Hayden finished the second day of Jerez MotoGP testing as the quickest rider, but he was cautious about reading too far into the result. Many of the top riders decided not to test during the final hour, which is when the track began to dry and the American recorded his best lap. What's more, while Hayden certainly believes the GP12 is superior to the GP11 in the dry, the situation reverses in the wet.
"Compared to the 800, this bike is better in regular conditions but worse in the wet - the 'Kentucky Kid' revealed - We could get the power down easier with the old bike. This one has some problems under acceleration, and the rear isn't stable in the longer corners. Last year I was praying for rain before some races, because we were often among the fastest in the wet, but today it was harder to get a good feeling."
Although he knows that being fastest counts for little, some positive signs are always welcome.
"Being fastest today doesn't mean much, because only a few riders went out in the dry. That said, I practically matched my best time from yesterday, even though the track was still wet in some places and I only did two runs."
Hayden also commented on the budding Bridgestone tire controversy, where seemingly everyone prefers the '21', with the sole exception of Honda. "The '21' is a big step forward - the American said, joining the majority - It's more stable, it heats up faster and it gives better feedback."
Now it's time to think ahead to tomorrow.
"We had a different setup that we wanted to try today, so hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can try it tomorrow."
Full English Language interview recording on the link
Read more: http://www.gpone.com/index.php/en/201203246411/Hayden-Ducati-hot-and-cold.html#ixzz1q8Zh9YJj
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Ducati's Nicky Hayden set the pace on a rain-affected second day of testing at Jerez, though the American set his time on an almost-dry track near the end of the day.
Hayden's lap of 1m40.755s was nearly a second faster than that of Karel Abraham on the Cardion AB privateer Ducati. Ben Spies was third fastest on the new factory Yamaha.
"Considering that the conditions weren't perfect, it's positive that we quickly come close to my best time from yesterday," said Hayden. "Now we hope the weather will let us work well tomorrow, because we'd like to improve some details before Qatar, especially with traction in the fast corners."...more
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Nicky Hayden believes Ducati’s GP12 will be competitive to help the American and team-mate Valentino Rossi become consistent podium contenders in the 2012 MotoGP world championship.
Ducati is looking to bounce back from a disastrous 2011 campaign that saw Hayden and Rossi collect just one rostrum apiece on the GP11 Desmosedici.
Hayden and Rossi officially unveiled the new GP12 contender during an internet launch on Facebook yesterday (Monday) ahead of this weekend’s final MotoGP pre-season test at the Jerez circuit in Spain.
And Hayden told MCN prior to the launch that he trusts Ducati has got it right with the new bike, which features a conventional twin spar aluminium frame and revised engine position to help solve a persistent vague front-end feeling that was such a hindrance in 2011....more