Nicky Hayden

tammerz wrote:strudl, love the avatar

I was just gonna say the same thing. James dont really do it for me but phew! he looks nice in that pic

HEHE thanks i just love it i love the fact that he has frekles on his chest as well even though some people dont like it i love it

Wow Trudi your avatar is switz swooooo

valegirl46 wrote:Wow Trudi your avatar is switz swooooo

thanks valegirl look on JTpics u will see more u like hehe

Schwantz casts expert eye over Hayden´s 2008 season


Friday, 07 November 2008
motogp.com

1993 MotoGP World Champion looks back over 2006 titlist´s most recent year in the premier class

One of the American predecessors to Nicky Hayden´s 2006 triumph, MotoGP Legend Kevin Schwantz was an ideal candidate for the task of assessing his stateside successor´s 2008 season.

The Texan praised Hayden´s attitude in his final season as a Honda rider, and predicted good things for the next chapter of his career, as a factory Ducati man.

`Nicky´s season started a bit `up and down´… actually it was a bit more down than up,´ recalls Schwantz. `When the new (pneumatic valve engine) showed up then his form picked up a bit, but he still wasn´t quite where he needed to be.´
After some hard races against some tough rivals with the new bike, Hayden began to pick up form. There were more difficulties to come, however, when an extra-curricular two-wheel tumble threw a further spanner into the works. Schwantz knows all-too-well how taxing riding with an injury can be, and noted the particular problems presented by Hayden´s fractured heel.

`In the summer break Nicky decided to go to the ESPN X Games and play around, and he ends up injured,´ recalls the 1993 champ. `It´s hard to come back from that; as light on your feet as you need to be on these bikes, it´s never easy.´
Injuries aside, the final third of the year saw the `Kentucky Kid´ picking up his best results of the season, something that Schwantz feels was a just reward for his exemplary conduct and effort.

`It seems like his attitude has been really, really good. He wants to stay focused on having (Dani) Pedrosa behind him as much as possible. What I´m sure he is looking forward to is having a new bike and a team where his input is processed a little bit to make things better for him.´

Hayden featured in Men´s Fitness magazine
Tuesday, 25 November 2008

Ducati rider´s training workload and career covered in U.S. monthly.



2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden has become a regular in the U.S. press this year, and not just in the racing media. The American has been featured in the likes of mainstream magazines Vogue and Esquire in 2008, and his latest appearance on the newsstands comes in the stateside edition of Men´s Fitness.

In the two-page feature of the December/January issue Hayden speaks about the demands of 800cc riding and his eagerness to regain the premier class title. His trainer, Aldon Baker also reveals the training schedule undertaken by the 27 year-old.

Seven days of cardiovascular work are combined with three strength workouts and the intriguing addition of power yoga, with the intention of giving Hayden strength in the unorthodox position adopted when riding. This is a serious workload when added to his testing and competing schedule, especially considering the marathon sessions undertaken on track by `the hardest working rider in MotoGP´.

`Stick and ball athletes don´t really think of us as athletes, which is a shame,´ says `The Kentucky Kid´. `Fitness makes a big difference on the bike; When you´re tired you start making mistakes, and when you fall off these bikes it don´t exactly tickle!´

Hayden is putting his training into practice this week at the MotoGP Official Test in Jerez. Men´s Fitness magazine is available on newsstands now.

Nicky Hayden ‘not thrilled’ by tenth
By Matthew Birt

MotoGP

26 November 2008 18:02


American Nicky Hayden conceded he had little to be thrilled about as he finished the opening day of testing in Jerez with the tenth quickest time.

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Making his second appearance on the new carbon fibre chassis Ducati GP9, the 27-year-old clocked a best time of 1.42.098 to finish 2.573s adrift of former Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa.

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Rookie Niccolo Canepa was 0.024s faster than the 2006 world champion as he clocked 69 laps with injured team-mate Casey Stoner evaluating his performance from trackside.

“I know I’ve got a lot of work to do and obviously I need to go a lot faster, “Hayden told MCN in the back of the Ducati truck tonight. “I feel fast but I’m definitely not thrilled by the times.

"The lap times were quite slow to be honest and I’m not happy to be so far off the pace and be where I am but I never expected it to click and just happen overnight. It is early days yet and I’m not too worried. Hopefully it will come.”

Hayden was at least delighted with the performance of the new Jerez track surface, which was laid in August.

“The track is unbelievable at the moment. It is really smooth and that has helped make the bike not feel anywhere near as loose as it did in Valencia. The track was in great shape once we cleaned the line and it warmed up.

"Some of these tracks when they have been resurfaced, by the time we get there you can see patches and sealer but it is really smooth. They have taken out some of the big bumps too which shows they have done a great job, because sometimes it is hard to completely take out the big, big bumps.”

Hayden said he planned to sit down and talk about his progress with Aussie team-mate Stoner tonight. Stoner is in the early stages of a three-month recovery from a major right wrist operation, but he was in Jerez.

Hayden added: “I’ll sit down with Casey and have a chat and ask him what he’s seeing out there. That kind of stuff always helps. But to actually compare his data is difficult because of the new surface.”

MotoGP » Hayden happy with feeling, needs speed.
Wednesday, 26th November 2008

New factory Ducati signing Nicky Hayden tenth fastest on day one of MotoGP testing at Jerez.


Nicky Hayden's third day as a Ducati and Bridgestone rider saw the 2006 MotoGP world champion set the tenth fastest lap time, out of 14 riders, at the start of the Jerez test.

Appropriately, Hayden completed 69 laps of the resurfaced Spanish GP track, and claimed to be happy with the feeling from his Desmosedici, whilst acknowledging that he was 'clearly off the pace'.

Jerez was a particularly tough track for the 2008 Desmosedici - Hayden's new team-mate Casey Stoner leading the Ducati challenge in eleventh on race day in April - and that trend continued with the GP9 on Wednesday, when the top Ducati rider was Alice's Niccolo Canepa.
Former Ducati test rider Canepa was one place and 0.024sec in front of Hayden, but over 2.5sec from Hayden's former Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa.

"It has been nice to get back on the bike and get on with the job in decent conditions," said Hayden, referring to rain on day two of the previous Valencia test. "The new surface is perfect, the bumps have disappeared and the grip improved with every lap. They've done a great job here at Jerez.

"I'm quite happy with my feeling with the bike. The lap times came down with virtually every outing and that's positive, even though I'm still clearly a good way off the pace.

"We've got a lot of work ahead but the team is really close and we know that bike has the potential, so all we can do is keep working. Both tyre specs that we tried today worked well, although the softer one was obviously the preferable option in these temperatures.

"They've got no problem in terms of durability and I'm slowly starting to get used to the feeling the Bridgestones give back. Hopefully the good weather continues tomorrow," concluded Nicky.

Jerez test: Nicky Hayden thrilled at big improvement
By Matthew Birt

MotoGP

28 November 2008 10:00


American Nicky Hayden went into the long winter break in bullish mood after he clocked the sixth best time on the final day of testing in Jerez.

The 2006 world champion had cut a dejected figure in the paddock at the end of a tough opening day that left him languishing down in 10th and a massive 2.5s off the pace.

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The former factory Honda rider though managed to slash his lap time by 1.5s yesterday as he clocked a best of 1.40.486 that left him quickest Ducati rider.

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It also eased fears that Hayden might also struggle to adapt to the Ducati, which has previously left the likes of Loris Capirossi, Alex Barros and Marco Melandri flummoxed.

Watched again by injured 2007 world champion and team-mate Casey Stoner, Hayden completed 70 laps and he ended just a fraction over a second outside of Valentino Rossi’s quickest of 1.39.429.

The relief was written all over Hayden’s face and he told MCN: “I really needed today. I needed to have a back-to-back day where I could really get my head down and find the limit.

"In Valencia it had rained on the second day and when I saw those clouds coming in today I thought it was going to be tough. If I’d have left for nearly three months off the bike on the back of yesterday, it wouldn’t have been much of a Christmas. But we made a big step and I felt more comfortable and more importantly a lot faster.

"I feel like I’m getting to the find the limit of the Bridgestone front now but that said I still need a second. But it is nice to see some big progress and know we are moving in the right direction. Chasing that last second is always going to be tough but I’m ready to work at it.”

Hayden also paid tribute to Stoner, who attended the test at the request of Ducati to give his trackside impressions of the GP9.

The Aussie is sidelined until 2009 after he underwent an operation to repair a damaged left wrist that he first injured back in 2003.

“I’m really grateful to him for doing that because I’ve not exactly been used to that kind of stuff recently,“ said Hayden, who had a non-existent relationship with Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa. “He could have easily been sat at home all warm with his feet up on the sofa, but he stood out in the cold trying to help me and Ducati.”

MotoGP » Hayden: We've made a big improvement.
Thursday, 27th November 2008

Nicky Hayden finds 1.6sec to leave Jerez test fifth fastest out of the 14 riders.

Nicky Hayden advanced from tenth to joint fifth during day two of the Jerez test, as the American concluded his second outing for Ducati one-second from Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa, but just 0.022sec from third fastest Jorge Lorenzo.

The 2006 world champion lowered his best lap time by 1.6sec during his fourth day on Bridgestone tyres and was the fastest of the five Desmosedici riders present in Spain - factory team-mate Casey Stoner being unable to ride due to recent wrist surgery.

"We've made a big improvement today," said Nicky. "It was important to have back-to-back days with similar conditions because at Valencia we only had one dry day and we weren't able to check that the changes we made to the bike overnight had worked.
"Today my feeling with the bike was much better from the first run and it is important that we've taken over a second and a half off my best time from yesterday.

"We are still a second off the top guys and I know the last second is the most difficult to find but at the same time we're less than a tenth off third fastest and the team is working well, I feel more and more comfortable with the bike and tyres and I can head home with a clear mind.

"I was pleased that Casey wanted to be here at the test," said Hayden of Stoner's presence as a spectator. "It has been useful to speak with him and Filippo [Preziosi] and it shows how tight the team is and how well everybody wants to do next season! I just want to finish by saying 'Happy Thanksgiving' to everybody in America!"

Hayden's next on-track appointment will be the first test of 2009 at Sepang in Malaysia from February 5-7, when 2007 world champion Stoner aims to make his return.

I certainly hope qualifiying isnt gonna be dull either, I love watching the last 30mins of it!

the crazy let me get out there ans try again feeling?

Thats the one Tam
I just love watching them busting their balls trying to get that last thousanth of a second lol!!

Paddock Press: Oxley on Hayden´s 2008 season
Friday, 19 December 2008

2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden gets his most recent year of racing assessed by Mat Oxley.

http://resources.motogp.com/files/images/xx/2008/MotoGP/Post/non/236401_Nicky+Hayden+in+action-1280x960-dec5.jpg.preview.jpg

Paddock veteran Mat Oxley is assigned the task of analysing Nicky Hayden´s final year onboard Honda machinery as Paddock Press focuses on former champions. The Briton sees 2008 as a difficult year for the 2006 titlist, although he gives credit for Hayden´s efforts.

`It´s been a tough old year for Nicky Hayden. This year has been even more difficult for him than 2007, mainly because he´s been developing a bike all year; he swapped bikes in the middle of the season, getting the pneumatic valve RCV212V and pretty much since then he's been developing the bike. That´s why you see that his results really started to come good in the last few races of the season,´ says Oxley.

`He´s a big fighter and I´m sure we all look forward to see how he goes next season on the Ducati.´