INTERVIEW
2006 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION NICKY HAYDEN
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tween some of the twins now."
The series has proposed
some big rule changes for next
year—the most controversial,
making it twins-only in the pre-
mier class, GNC1. As a racer,
Hayden has some doubts.
"I'm skeptical of all the new
rule changes," he said. "That's a
touchy one for sure. I can under-
stand why they're proposing this
rule. It's something that if these
manufacturers were going to
come in and really get involved
and pay these riders and justify
it, I could understand it.
"They also need to be careful
because every year new rules,
new rules, new rules. These
guys can't afford to throw these
bikes away every year and start
over and build them from the
ground up. Changing the rules
every year is a problem in any
form of racing because it drives
the cost up too much.
"But again it's hard for me to
comment being so far from it.
I see some of the guys around
and hear some stuff. It's a little bit
almost like what happened with
DMG [and AMA Pro Road Rac-
away. So I think they got to find a
way to work together.
"Riding twins at a little track like
Daytona short track is not going to
work. It's not going to be a good
show. But I don't know all the de-
tails. We'll see what happens."
Although Hayden has been
absent from the Superbike cham-
pionship in the U.S. since he won
the title in 2003, he has still kept
abreast of the series as both of
his brothers raced there—Tommy
I TRUTHFULLY
KIND OF
LIKED BACK
WHEN I WAS
DOING [FLAT
TRACK], WHEN
EVERYBODY RODE
HARLEYS AND
YOU JUST WENT
TO THE TRACK.
EVERYBODY HAD
REAL SIMILAR
BIKES AND YOU
JUST RODE IT.
ing]; it wasn't a good combina-
tion. When you start telling riders
you got to ride a twin on this short
track or a TT, you got to wear
leathers…I'm a little nervous.
"There are a lot of good things
going for it, so I hope they can
keep the momentum. I hope
they're not tearing it down be-
cause you start getting the riders
fighting. That's what DMG did
[with AMA Pro Road Racing] and
pushed a lot of riders and teams
and Roger. Younger brother
Roger still does, so it's more than
just being an American interested
in the home series.
Around this time last year it was
announced that the U.S. Super-
bike Championship was changing
hands from DMG to the Wayne
Rainey-backed KRAVE Group.
The newly branded MotoAmerica
Superbike Championship just fin-
ished its first season last weekend
in New Jersey, while Hayden was
