Ducati Hanging Hayden out to Dry?
If Ducati had great confidence in Nicky Hayden for 2010 MotoGP season it would have announced it was executing it’s 1 year option last Friday at Indianapolis. Or at least by the expiration of the option which was September 1st right? After all he put the Ducati on the podium. What’s up?
It is no secret that Nicky has struggled to come to grips with the Ducati GP9 this season and his recent results which included a podium at Indy have only partially offset his general lack of pace compared to his team-mate Casey Stoner.
It isn’t for want of trying. Hayden impressed Ducati management with his focussed approach to getting up to speed on the bike but when it became clear that his race results were mirroring his fairly ordinary pre-season testing it was time for change.
Nicky was given a new crew chief and together they made a lot of changes assisted by factory tester Vittoriano Guareschi. Hell, even Troy Bayliss was called up to help test the bike at Mugello. He certainly appeared to be doing better finishing 12th, 10th, 8th and 5th in a row earlier in the season and then of course making the podium last weekend but I have argued that this progress is largely illusory. Nicky has indeed less far behind the race winner at some races, but only in the US where he has recorded 2 of his 3 career wins.
What gives? Ducati hired the 2006 champion to win races and the unexpected temporary departure of number one rider, Casey Stoner, for 3 races due to an unknown illness, has only highlighted the fact that Nicky is not in the class of riders that Stoner belongs to. That class that also includes Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and naturally Valentino Rossi.
MotoGP Racing Director Livio Suppo made his thoughts on Hayden clear immediately ahead of the Indy race.
“Nicky’s results are disappointing, he is below our expectations of him,” Suppo said. But the Ducati factory team boss also pointed out that Hayden was making progress. “He was sixth in Brno, which is very good – especially when you realize that his lap times were almost good enough to be on the podium. Now we will wait and see what happens at Indianapolis, last year he did a good job. We will watch what happens and take it from there.”
Ducati had an option (a right but not an obligation) on Nicky Hayden’s services for the 2010 season which expired on September 1st. The fact they haven’t exorcised it either means they have decided they don’t require his services at all or don’t rate his chances in securing any other ride that highly that they can take the risk that he is on the market while they finalize their decision.
Again Livio Suppo seemed to suggest that the decision was not yet made.
“I cannot tell you anything more. Not because I don’t want to, but because quite simply there is nothing to tell,”
link: MotoGP Matters
It has been no secret that the factory has chased Lorenzo, Capirossi and now Pedrosa but have so far come up empty. My theory is that Ducati has offered Hayden a satellite Pramac seat for certain next year with the option of a factory seat should there be any more problems with Stoner whilst focussing their energies on trying to secure Pedrosa. Comments that Suppo has made to the Italian press seem to bear this out.
“We are extremely happy with Nicky’s podium,” Suppo told Italia1 television. “We were a bit fortunate with the two crashes, but anyway he deserved a good result because he’s never given up, he’s always believed in it, and the bike has improved. “We’ve seen for the umpteenth time that there are some guys in a different sport, while among the human ones he was there.” He added: “As I’ve just said: there are four guys in a different sport. One of them hasn’t signed yet. However, a place for Nicky could always be found.”
link: Autosport.com
And for his part, Dani confirms that he hasn’t decided yet where he will be next year in marked contrasts to announcements made in Brno by the new head of HRC.
Dani Pedrosa:- “At the moment the thing for me is that there is nothing new. There is nothing concrete. I do not know what is the positive points or the negative points about the Ducati but it is necessary for me to know this before I can decide what id the bike that will be raced next year.
link: Visordown
It is clear that if Ducati can sign Pedrosa they will, so desperate are they and their Marlboro sponsor to cover the risk that Casey Stoner may not return to racing or will not be as competitive when he does.
For Nicky it continues to be the case that he is but one of the cogs in a big wheel and unfortunately even his recent podium has made him an option rather than a choice. So once again, Nicky’s Misano performance will be critical to his future prospects.
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