Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Nicky Havden MotoGP Rookie of the Year is about to be Honda's main man Ros si wasn 't the only World Cha mpion singing Hayden 's praises in Val en cia . Ne il Hodgson, who just won the 2003 Worl d Superb ik e Champions hip for th e Fila Ducati te am , obs erved Hay den th ro ug hout the seaso n and cam e away im pressed. "I watch ed Nic ky Hayden a lot this year, and I actuall y th ought he had th e worst job in th e pad dock ," sai d Hodgson , wh o will face off against Hay den as a m ember of th e d' Antin Ducati team next year. " He was coming t o the factory team alongside Rossi. It was a bloody hard step. But I've actually learned a lot fro m hi m this year because he's go ing about i t ste p by ste p. He' s gone out there and lea rned, and I watch ed him in Valencia, and y ou c an se e he's giving it 100 percen t. He ' s really enjoying hims elf and t ot all y at ease with the bik e." Hav in g p artnered wit!J t he im m en sel y po pular Rossi, Hayd en , who li ke Rossi continually changes h is lo ok , knows what he 's in for, off the track as well as on . Rossi can't leave his pit or motor home with out b e in g surr ound ed . H a yd en is qu i ckly at tracti ng th e sam e si ze crowds . As one admirer pointed out, if you see a crowd of 50 you ng girls, Nick y 's prob ably in the middle. First th e racing . IS there a way t o ex pl ain y our late - season im p rovem ent ? T h e biggest thing is I've j ust been q ualifying bett er , an d it's j ust made it so much easi er in the race. I've learn ed a lot more beca use I'm raci ng with the faster guys . J ust when it came time t o race, I could fi nd the speed to run with them. But whe n you're starting 16th, 17th, I wasn 't learning as mu ch , and I co me aro und the first lap five seconds beh ind already. I've j ust been getting better. After Estoril , I pretty m uch told myself, the re were fi ve races left. I j ust put a lot of p ressu re on m y self. I k new th e season was gettin g to the end; it wa s ti me to do something fast. The rac es were clicking awa y , and I j ust reall y k new I had to do something befo re th e season was over. Q A By H EN NY R A Y A B RAMS P HOTOS BY G OLD £, G OOS E I ne yea r into his MotoGP ca reer and Nick y Hay den is about to become th e leade r of the Rep sol Ho nd a t eam , t he largest, most powerfu l and m ost prolific in road raci ng . If the 22 -year-ol d with th e qu ick sm ile is worried , he's not sho wi ng it. Du ring a wi de -ranging int erview ove r dinne r in the Repsol Honda tent , Hayden was engaging and up beat, laug hing at th e earl y shortcomings he overcame t o join th e w o rld 's elite. With h is mother, Ro se, at hi s side - there's nea rly always a famil y presence at th e races; if not , a fr iend from O wensboro - Hayden mad e it clear t h at he' s not on ly read y for the chall enge but lo ok ing forward to it. 14 N OVEM BER 26 , 2003 ' c ue I e n e Valenti no Rossi, whose p la c e he ' s ex pe c t ed to tak e, th in k s Hayden 's up fo r the ch allenge. "For sure nex t year he'll be very strong," Rossi said . T he five -ti me World Cha m pion poi nte d ou t th at Hayd en d id have the best bik e but added that p ut him in a " very hard position. He m anaged himself very well . He don 't crash very much. At the beginning he im p rove, improve. He stay quiet and don 't ta ke big risks. I think he has a good talent . He rides the bike in th e rig ht wa y . He has a good control of the sli de ." Rossi also said that Hayden had an avid curio sity , ma ybe too mu ch so at this poin t. " He wan ts very m uch ad vice. But now [I'm ] fin ish ed , bec au se he alrea dy is too fas t ," Ro ssi sai d with a laugh. vv s Y OU did n 't think y ou were riding up t o your potent ial. I was g ett ing b etter eve ry race , and I had a pr etty good ride at Germ any . I just knew I had more left. I knew I wasn't getting everything out of m y self, and I k new I had to take ano the r ste p up. Instead of sma ll steps, take a big ste p. Q A Q It' S easy to say you qualified better, but how? Why?

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