Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

it," Hayden said. ''A lot of the riders were there. A lot of the team went to the aquarium. A lot of people from the track... Mick Doohan. There was a lot of people there. The umbrella girls were there." Hayden flew home with his brother Roger Lee on Monday, while brother Tommy stayed behind to have surgery on his broken hand. "It's been a busy week," Nicky said, "a lot of stuff happening. A lot of people calling and a lot of e-mails. A lot of interviews and things like that. People I hadn't had a chance to call. "Leno called about doing the Leno show. Like I said, Donington is right around the corner, and I just came home. I want to stay focused and do these next races, and then in the beginning of August, I'm going to go do it [the show] - well actually, with my three brothers. We're going to go do it together." Most of the interviews were from the motorcycle community, but there was some mainstream media. Hayden was encouraged to see his win shown on ESPN's "SportsCenter." Hayden's first MotoGP victory had a number of distinctions. It was the first by a Honda in the U.S. GP, the first by an American in a U.S. GP since John Kocinski won on a Cagiva in 1993, and it was the first time a rider had beaten Rossi heads-up on a dry track since last August, when Makoto Tamada won the Japanese GP at Motegi. Rossi crashed out of the following GP in Qatar, then came a string of nine wins in 10 races, including five in a row leading up to the U.S. GP. Some put it to home-track advantage, but Hayden gave that theory little weight. "These guys are World Champions," he said. "They're not beginners. They're going to learn the track in 5 I/2 hours. The nature of the track, it's kind of tight, lot of up and down, lot of blind corners. It's just more of the track I grew up on. It's kind of like Road Atlanta, it's kind of like Mid-Ohio. It's not like Mugello; it's not like type of track they grew up on. Just kind of definitely what I know a bit more. A little bit bumpy." Hayden's pole time was best by .354 of a second, an eternity in a sport measured in tenths, hundredths and thousandths. At one point during Saturday's qualifying session, it was over a second, a figure that caught Rossi's eye. Hayden said he didn't know that Rossi was impressed "until I read it in Cycle News. It's one of those things, you just kind of get that momentum going. This year in qualifying, I've been fourth or fifth every race this year, I think except once, and I've missed the front row so many times this year by literally a tenth or literally half a tenth, and then to get pole by three-tenths." Hayden and crew chief Pete Benson made only slight changes to the RC21 IV. The baseline was partly decided by notes from the Castrol Honda World Superbike team of Edwards and Aaron Slight. And Benson got some help from Hayden's former crew chief, Merlyn Plumlee. "What to look for, what to do, this and that, to kind of help get the baseline. We really didn't change too much," Hayden said. "We actually had changed some stuff Sunday morning at Assen that we carried over to this weekend." Once the race started, it appeared to be playing to Rossi's strength. The pattern is often transparent: stalk, pass, win. "I knew he liked to stay in second, but I tried to keep the gap bigger than what he normally has; he likes to stay a lot closer and have it three- or four-tenths," Hayden said of knowing the World Champion was in pursuit. "I don't trust the guy. I don't trust nobody. I def- initely thought he could be holding something back. I felt like I had a little bit more, too. I was trying to keep the gap about two seconds. A couple of times, it came down. I had a gap, plus to Valentino, and plus to Edwards. I could see that Edwards was catching him. Once Edwards came past him, I figured he wasn't holding back anything." One criticism Hayden's heard this year is that he can't finish a race. Toward the end, his times go up and his position goes down. That pattern was reversed at the previous Dutch TT at Assen. There was a lull mid race, but he was strong to the end, and he repassed riders who'd gotten by him, something that hasn't often happened. ''Actually, tire wear I wasn't worried about," he said. ''A lot of times as the race goes on, the tires wear out. I get a lot of chatter - not so much more chatter, but just the frequency changes a lot. I did full race distance on the tire I was going to race. I had a pretty good idea, and I thought it would be okay. It was definitely warmer on race day. The Michelins work really good. I was pretty confident it would be okay. You never really know. I'd done over race distance, and I was pretty confident." In the race, he pulled out over a second on the opening lap and soon got it to two. At one point, it was close "I give credit to Laguna," Hayden said. "They did a lot of work. Rainey Curve, down the hill, a lot of runoff is definitely better." Hayden said he'd spoken to Wayne Rainey earlier on Friday morning. The topic of turn six came up. "Turn six I think we need to look at and try to make better," he said. "That corner on these bikes definitely needs a bit of work. I would like to see more runoff, because the way it is now, it's one of those corners that isn't easy. It's kind of blind, and it's kind of got a dip. It's where you can make up time. A lot of times, when they go slow it down - it's kind of the same for everybody, and it really isn't fun. They've got to do what they've got to do." Among the other changes the rider safety commission requested was shaving down the hill going from turn six to the Corkscrew. "I think that's kind of silly," Hayden said. "That's part of Laguna. You've just got to learn how to get over the hill. Both wheels weren't really coming off the ground. The bike was really light. "Even the surface, I don't think the surface was that bad. We go to tracks I think that are just as bumpy. Portugal, I think, is bumpier than Laguna. I'm all for safety, and definitely I think we need to look and see what we can do - the riders' board - to make it better. I think Laguna kind of got a bad rap." Prior to Laguna Seca, the MotoGP circuits had hit three of the faster tracks in a row: Mugello, Catalunya and Assen. Now come three of the slower ones: Laguna, Donington and Sachsenring. Hayden can't wait for Friday 11 morning practice in the British Midlands. - Nicky Hayden '" definitely think the confidence is so much a part of any race, in any sport, and especially our sport," he said. "Definitely, to three, and it was rarely below two. Hayden never these are three good tracks for me. Donington, last year, allowed himself the luxury of thinking the race was won. I was on provisional pole on Friday. Germany I was on "I never thought that," he said. "With three, four laps the podium. Definitely three good tracks for me. Even Assen was a pretty good track for me. Before the seato go, I just kept telling myself... I mean, it was kind of reminding me of myoid days because I hadn't led a race son started, I'd really been looking forward to this in a long time, like I did in the day. Even though you've stretch right here. got a two-second lead, it's like, 'They're catching you; "Definitely, I hope that this here is that boost that I've been missing that I really need to be there week in and you can't back off.' That's only 1.8 seconds; that's not week out. It felt good to win and beat Valentino. All year, that big a gap. he's been making us look pretty bad, other than the one "It was kind of a different feeling for me to be back race in Portugal, which was kind of wet. [Alex Barros leading a race. I'd led Philip Island and a few others, but won the Portuguese GP on a wet/dry track at Estoril.]" to actually be leading and thinking about that sort of strategy, because it is a little bit different, definitely goes And as much as the next race, Hayden can't wait for the 2006 Red Bull U.S. GP. into your head. You never think you've got it won. "I want to see our series be strong here in the U.S.," Obviously, with three, four laps to go, I knew if I didn't he said. "Sure, you know, some stuff they got to do betdo anything stupid and just bring it home, I was good." There were hugs in the pare ferme from friends and ter next year - traffic and different things. All in all, I think it was a big success. It was a full house, the crowd seemed family and a grin that lasted for days. to be haVing fun, the racing was good, safe racing. I really "It was just cool the whole weekend just to win in hope everybody will come back next year and it'll be front of my friends and family," Hayden said. "Obviously, racing's been good to our family, and I'm definitely happy something to really help our sport grow in America." Now that the United States is a fixture on the calenthat they could be there. It definitely was cool. My famdar, the series is complete, he believes. ily has definitely been behind me. The last year or two, "We go all around the world, but it was definitely when you don't win, you kind of see who's really your missing, our series not coming to America," Hayden friend and who's really behind you." said. "For me, being an American, for everybody it's a Looking forward, Hayden would like to see some big market, and it's really important for sponsors and changes to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The rider safeimportant to the series." ty commission has requested numerous changes, but the And it's the one time all year he gets to race on the track isn't as bad as some first-timers claimed. same track as his brothers. Tommy Hayden crashed out "I think some guys definitely came down a bit too of the lead of Sunday morning's Superstock race. Roger hard on Laguna as far as safety," Hayden said. "I think Lee fought to the end for the Supersport race, coming some guys had it in their head before they even got second to Jason DiSalvo. to Laguna that the track wasn't safe and this and "I know it sounds greedy, but we were close to havthat," he said. ing a trifecta," Hayden said. MoviStar Honda MotoGP's Marco Melandri spoke of There's always next year. boycotting the race after a lap on a scooter. eN "Obvious/~ I'm happy for myself, but I'm definitely happy for Honda, and especially my team. eye. F NEws. "!ly 27 20 °5 33

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