Suppo says Hayden `the best teammate for Stoner´

Ducati´s confirmation of the season´s most exciting reshuffle –Nicky Hayden´s signing for the factory team- creates a formidable lineup for the Italian manufacturer in their quest for 2009 glory, and Ducati MotoGP Project Manager Livio Suppo sees his new acquisition as the ideal man to partner existing rider Casey Stoner next season.

Commenting on the coup for the 2006 MotoGP titlist, and his pairing with the current World Champion –something of an open secret in the paddock and press- Suppo declared:

`We´re very happy to have Nicky onboard. Everybody knew about it or was speaking about it for a lot of weeks! We are delighted to have come to an agreement with him. I really believe that he´s the best teammate for Casey and that he can do a good job next year.´

Hayden´s first encounter with the Desmosedici GP9 will come on October 27th, the day after the final round of the present season at Valencia, after the `Kentucky Kid´ received special permission from Honda to make an early switch. Suppo is confident that his new charge´s `rough and ready´ style will afford him homology with the Ducati machine.

`I want to thank HRC for allowing Nicky to ride our bike immediately after Valencia, and I am really looking forward to seeing him on the bike. I think that his aggressive and spectacular style will fit well with the bike,´ he concluded.

Aside from pairing two MotoGP World Champions in the Ducati garage, the addition of Hayden –and departure of current rider Marco Melandri- also means that the Italian outfit will not be fielding a `home´ rider for the first time since their arrival in MotoGP back in 2003.