followed him just prior to the crash, said his visor
super hard, it's one thing," he said.
"I didn't learn
Among his peers, Tommy Hayden is considered
was misted from fluid coming off Tommy's bike.
anything from it. Sometimes you've got to find the
limits and crash and learn from it."
possibly the smoothest rider in racing. Never out of
Mechanical failure was ruled out, and the Dunlop
technician, Les Washbon, said nothing was wrong
with the tire.
As for increasing his crash frequency, the Mon-
shape, never dirty, never angry. A pleasure to race
against.
Regardless of how it happened, it was a vicious
terey crash reminded Tommy of the downside.
"When you feel the way I have the last couple of
focus on: Tommy said during an interview in the
"The smooth thing is not something that I really
highside; Tommy was knocked out by landing on
his head. He remembers very little of what happened. He suffered a mild concussion and some
days, it makes you think it's not such a good idea,"
he said.
The last time Tommy crashed was when he got
Kawasaki transporter at Mazda Raceway. "For me,
usually, when I'm smoothest is when I'm riding the
best. It's real hard for me to put quick lap times in
swelling, but was otherwise okay. The recovery
caught up in the mayhem that was last year's Pro
and not be smooth. I feel way more comfortable."
called for 10 days off a motorcycle, but you can bet
he didn't do the full sentence. The worst part: He
Honda Oils Supersport race at Daytona, but that
wasn't his fault. The last time he crashed on his own,
Smoothness is one thing, aggression another.
Twice in his career he's finished second in the 600cc
learned nothing from the crash.
prior to a highside at the January Laguna Seca test?
Supersport Championship: once to his brother,
"I can't remember," he says after thinking about it.
Nicky, and last year to Yoshimura Suzuki's Aaron
"If I'm out there really stepping it up or going
cue
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FEBRUARY 26. 2003
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