VOL. 52 ISSUE 18 MAY 5, 2015 P77
Hayden had started badly,
but found a better pace in the
second half of the race.
"I gained a couple of places,"
Hayden said. "But I'm not satis-
fied because I like Jerez and
expected to enjoy riding here
and get a better result. Fortu-
nately we have a test scheduled
for tomorrow where we will try to
Briefly...
ners, dominating Jerez practice from
the start—but he did praise Yamaha
for keeping faith in spite of it all.
The paddock was saddened on Sat-
urday morning with the news that
grand prix legend Geoff Duke had
died the day before, at the age of
92—and the next day observed a
minute's silence in not only his mem-
ory, but also in tribute to the victims
of the Nepalese earthquake. Duke
was 500cc World Champion in 1951
and 350cc champion in 1951 and
1952, on a Norton; and 500 cham-
pion again from 1953 to 1955 on a
Gilera, after abandoning the single-
cylinder British machine in despair at
the conservatism in the face of the
multi-cylinder challenge of the Italian
machines. He is as famous for his
super-smooth riding style, and his
thoughtful and innovative approach
to racing. Duke pioneered the use of
close-fitting one-piece leathers, af-
ter observing the aerodynamic drag
of the two-piece outfits worn by his
rivals. Duke also gained kudos for
supporting beleaguered riders in
the smaller classes, after a strike at
Assen demanding more money. His
racing license was suspended for six
months by the FIM, ending hopes of
a fourth consecutive Gilera title.
KTM are to fight back against the
dominance of Honda in Moto3, with
a new chassis due for the Italian
Grand Prix at Mugello at the end of
May. The Austrian manufacturer had
won 27 races in a row up to the Cata-
lunyan Grand Prix last year, providing
factory-level equipment, while main
rival Honda had complied with the
spirit of the rules with a lower-cost
racer. By the end of 2013 Honda had
decided to fight fire with fire, and the
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