Hayden excited at prospect of new season
American rider confident in the potential of the Ducati Desmosedici GP10 as the new season draws closer.
Ducati Marlboro rider Nicky Hayden is ready to build on the stronger second half of his season last year, as preparations for the 2010 campaign continue to gather pace.
The 2006 World Champion admitted that last year was a difficult one on the track, but a podium at Indianapolis and fifth-placed finishes in Malaysia and Valencia ended the season on an encouraging note.
“Last season was tougher than we’d hoped, but things don’t always go exactly as you planned,” he explained at Wrooom 2010 in Madonna di Campiglio. “We started the season with a couple of crashes and struggled for momentum, but I think we have to be positive about the progress we made with a lot of hard work from everybody. We were able to get on the podium at Indianapolis and then finished with two top fives in a row and made some big steps. We’re really excited for the new season, if we can pick up where we left off and keep trying to close that gap to the front.”
The Desmosedici GP10 which he will ride in the forthcoming campaign will be unveiled on Wednesday, and Hayden is optimistic about its prospects.
“We had a good test at Valencia. I like the bike and I think another off-season with the team will be a big help for me. We’re all working hard and will wait and see what happens,” said Hayden.
“What Casey did at the end of the year shows that our bike is very strong, and we’ve tried to improve it and the engine. This will certainly help us in 2010 to make it more consistent as the season goes on. We have a couple of different little tweaks to make but the bike is good. We have a strong package for 2010 and combined with some changes in the team there’s a lot of excitement about the season for me and everyone involved. There are some big changes but with changes come opportunities so we’ll see what it amounts to.”
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