Fresh test for Hayden as Moto2 project continues to progress

Roger Lee Hayden, Kevin Schwantz and the Erion Racing crew led by Kevin Erion were all present at the Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama at the end of last week to conduct another test, as the American Honda Moto2 team continued its preparations for the wildcard entry it will field at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix from August 27-29.

Despite intense heat for the duration of the two days at the U.S. track the test proved a successful experience for rider Hayden, Team Manager Schwantz and Erion and his technical crew, as they made good progress on the fine tuning of the Moriwaki MD600 chassis they will race at Indy.

"The conditions were really, really hot and very humid but Roger's work ethic shone through and we achieved a lot," said Team Manager Schwantz. "Roger's not afraid of hard work and that's part of the reason we chose him to be on this team, and that showed through as he strung together fast laps in miserably hot and humid conditions. Roger was very fast on the track and even though he had fairly used tires on the bike at the end of the day on Thursday, he still managed to put down lap times as fast as he's ever been on this track."

Hayden was just as pleased with the advancements made as he prepares for his second World Championship ride of the campaign, having ridden in the MotoGP class as Randy de Puniet’s stand-in at Laguna Seca.

He stated: "It's great to be able to get data from the bike while riding on a real racetrack because it gives the team a good base to work with. Having someone of Kevin Schwantz’s stature watching over and advising me is great, he is someone who knows exactly what I'm doing as a rider and working with him is great. Being critiqued by a World Champion like Kevin means I get amazing riding advice, one rider to another. I think this experience is going to make me a better rider not just for this particular project but for my entire career."

The team will test again in Indianapolis a week before the race, when they undertake a two-day programme to finalise their preparations.