Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128143
Nicky Havden could go dirt tracking and put 11 0 percent into it. Go to all of the races. Go run the non-Nationals, then, God, I would love to do it. Just to do it halfway, just show up on off weekends, it's not the way to do it. It'd be like Joe Kopp trying to come race Superbike part time. I mean those guys, right now at their level, to do it right. You've got to be a dirt tracker, really. I'm sure I'll do a couple of the ones that I really have fun at. I don't know, it's not like it used to be racing against Morehead, Will Davis, Parker, all these guys. Now some of the guys that I used to have so much fun racing against aren't really racing there. Witli PACE ana AMA, I don't waRt to kRock dirt track, bu it just didn't seem the same for me. It's still something that, maybe when the road race season is over, if there's still some races, I'd love to get to them. It's still my dream to do the grand slam. I have to win a IT and a mile. ('ve got a second on both. This year for sure, I think Springfield IT and a few of them. I'm sure that I'll go ride a couple of them, but not the whole year. I don't even know. I don't even have a bike lined up yet. I'm sure I'll try to get something going. Just thinking about it, I'm sure, once the season starts, I'll realize how much I miss it. Because it is a lot of fun when the tracks are good." This may be Hayden's last chance to dirt track. Europe beckons. really worrying about it. I jus rode my older brother's older bikes, just his han -me-down bikes and I just rode them. Superbike at this level, the th~g's got so much horsepower, y u've got to get them set up right. I feel like I'm ~ettin better. I realize that I've still got a long way' to ~o on set-up. My feel's not always great. I hear a I t of these riders a lot of the time, they don't eve know. They just want to make something up that sounds good. I try to be totally honest and tell trnelll how) really feel. I definitely feel like I can get better at set-up, but I feel the last year or two, I've gotten better at it and working with Merlyn [Plumle J, he's been really good at helping bring me along. reddie pencer, he's even been helping me a little bit on getting the feel of the bike, the feedback." The AMA road race schedule is more compact this year, giving Hayden less opportunity to go dirt track racing - his first love. Listening to his thought process, it's clear that he's ambivalent, but ultimately focused on the Superbike crown. "I might run one or two," he says. "I'm kind of over it. Just want to concentrate on road racing 110 percent. There's not as many weekends off this year. Dirt track, I love to do it. And I feel like it helps me a little bit road racing. To be honest with you, I'm not having as much fun as I used to dirt tracking. I mean, I like it, and it's still cool. For me, just to do something halfway is not real fun. If I 26 FEBRUARY 27, 2002' III U III • e n e _ s "My contract's up at the end of this year," he says of his American Honda deal. "I've got to get this year out of the way first and then see what happens. I want a crack at Europe before I get too old. Not too old. I don't want to wait too long. I want to keep learning, keep progressing. I don't want to get to one spot and level off. I don't want to get greedy. I was talking to my brother about it the other day that I don't see how I could leave what I've got right now. Right now with American Honda Superbike, I'm having so much fun. Everything's going so good. My job's a dream, really. To get to do what I'm doing... to give it up for Europe, whidi I don't now iWim going to like. It'd 'be a big-decision. It' always been my dream to go to Europe, so I definitely, if I can get the right opportunity and all the right pieces in the right spot, I want to try." First things first. "You look at the crew this year, every single [Superbike rider] is legit on good bikes," Hayden says. "Obviously, Mat's won the title three years in a row now. He's the guy with the bull's-eye on his back. He's definitely the, I don't know, public enemy number one, or whatever you want to call him. He's the guy that everybody's going to be trying to beat. I think it's going to be some good racing this year with a lot of guys. Everybody wants to win. You can hear everybody talking a little smack." eN