Nicky's new toy

[RodeoClown]

Who took that photo? That is still cool.

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Tuesday+Valencia+action+restricted+by+rain

The rain which has pursued the MotoGP World Championship throughout 2008 was present again in Valencia during the early part of Tuesday´s scheduled test, dissuading any of the riders present from going out on track until the late afternoon.

Having tested yesterday and having seen the conditions on Tuesday morning the likes of leading premier class stars Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha) decided against riding in the rain, whilst there was no sign whatsoever of title-winner Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) at the circuit.

Shortly after 3pm hardy souls Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), Marco Melandri (Kawasaki) and Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) undertook the first tentative laps of the day, using the new Bridgestone rain tyres.

A further full update will follow on motogp.com after 5pm.

[gm2]

Valencia Test Final Day: Hayden Fastest 

(no pedro, vale, or stoner)

Times Tuesday 28th
1. Hayden (Ducati) 1'48.287 (20 Laps)
2. Dovizioso (Honda) 1'48.296 (18)
3. Melandri (Kawasaki) 1'48.786 (26)
4. Canepa (Ducati) 1'49.917 (25)
5. Kallio (Ducati) 1'50.275 (26)
6. Elias (Honda) 1'54.057 (16)
7. Capirossi (Suzuki) 1'57.322 (7)

[TiNi]

 

looks like nicky's going to be just FiNe on the ducati

[sbrguy]

i'm not sure,if hayden is already sayign that bike is a handful and a beast, he could be in the same "malandri situation" of qualifying 18th at every race once the season gets on. 

[zooom]

looks like nicky's going to be just FiNe on the ducati

well...not sure how you came to that...it looks like to me he is 5 seconds behind what he was doing in the wet on the Michelin shod Honda....nothing about this testing told me anything about how well he'll do on the Ducati next season except he didn't crash it and he was faster than Melandri was on it...to me that just says that maybe he'll be alot closer in helping the team in Team Constructors points since he'll finish up higher in the points end of things than his predecessor!...he has to still fully adapt to the bike and to the 'Stone's as well as his crew.

[gm2]

"I didn't want to get in too deep. We have time," he said. "I think that in three or four months we should have a good handle on it. If I don't learn it by the time we get to Qatar then I'm probably not going to have learned it by the time we get back here next year this time."

[gm2]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71804

New Ducati signing Nicky Hayden says he is still settling into the style of his GP9 after setting the fastest time in the wet second day of testing at Valencia.

The American, one of just seven riders to take part in the shortened second day, says he has a lot of hard to work to do before he is ready to match teammate Casey Stoner's pace in dry conditions.

"We haven't really played around with the setting too much because at the moment the most important thing is to try and adapt to the bike, the tyres, the team and their way of working and communicating," he said after yesterday's test. "I have to be careful not to speak too fast or use too much slang!

"Joking aside, I know I have a lot of hard work to do but I'm ready for it and so is the team.

"I haven't asked for too many changes because Casey has already shown what this bike can do and now it's up to me to do the same."

Hayden added that he was disappointed not to have had more dry running on the Italian machine, but said that testing in the wet was still useful.

"I would have preferred to have another dry day today because we still had a lot of things to try with the bike but at least I got chance to get a first feel for it in the wet," he said. "We've seen with the way the rain has followed us around this season how important it is to have experience in these conditions.

"After my first run I said to myself, "wow, you're so slow!" But then we made some small changes and I felt better."



http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71810

Ducati's technical director Filippo Preziosi believes the team has made 'the right choice' by signing Nicky Hayden after the American completed a successful first test for the team at Valencia this week.

Hayden, who was fastest of all on the wet second day of the shortened test at the Spanish track, impressed the team with his bravery and his swift integration with the engineers.

"He certainly is very brave," Preziosi told Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport. "With the telemetry you can see that in certain situations the bike wobbles in a scary way, even more than with [Casey] Stoner, but he doesn't get off the gas.

"I think we've made a good choice."

Speaking of Hayden's relationship with Stoner, Preziosi added: "It looks like from the first moment there's been great accord between the two of them, also helped by the fact that they speak the same language.

"I don't know whether it'll be the best rider pairing we've ever had, but for sure it will be very harmonious."

Preziosi also indicated that Ducati were happy with the first run of an evolution engine used in the carbon-fibre GP9.

"We were a bit afraid," he said. "Here we had an evolution - never gone on track, not even with test rider [Vittoriano] Guareschi - of what Casey tried in Barcelona.

"Even on the installation lap he did to prepare the bike for the riders, Vittoriano told us it was a good step forward. Most of all in smoothness and progression.

"Casey liked it very much too. The power is still the same, because that's practically imposed by the limitation on the amount of fuel. We've worked on the usual things: fluid dynamics and reduction of frictions. We'll see if it's enough."

[Speeddog]

If we take Hayden's gap behind Stoner, in the dry testing at Valencia, it's 1.496 sec.

Apply that to qualifying for the Valencia race, and he would have ended up 12th.

Not bad at all for the first day on a new bike.

[derby]

Not bad at all for the first day on a new bike.

...and tires he's never ridden on before.

[gm2]

...and tires he's never ridden on before.

this is obvious, but not only are they tires he's never been on before.. he's been working hard at developing and understanding other tires for at least 9 years.

doesn't suck.

[Speeddog]

Everybody at the Valencia test was on the new 'control' Bridgestones, so I made a fairly gross assumption that the change leveled the field a bit.
Though it was likely not as big a jump for those who were on Bridgestones before.

What were Stoner's race lap times?

[ducpainter]

1 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 1'32.582 5 30

best lap

[gm2]

another one, just cuz.

looks like the 990cc Honda: he actually fits on this bike.

[gm2]

Everybody at the Valencia test was on the new 'control' Bridgestones, so I made a fairly gross assumption that the change leveled the field a bit.
Though it was likely not as big a jump for those who were on Bridgestones before.

What were Stoner's race lap times?

it was actually quite a big jump for anyone not previously using the "Rossi/Stoner front".. i.e., all but Rossi and Stoner.

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/motogp/news/171108-0/hopkins_its_the_rossistoner_front.html

mole has been quoted saying the new tire works well on the suzi.

folks like elias are potentially up the creek for a little while; he previously was using a 'stone that was made especially for him.  no one else used it.  but... he's moving back to a bike he knows well and got on with far better than the duc.

also interestingly, "Bridgestone has also reduced the maximum level of grip of the tyres in a concerted effort to assist the sport's governing body in its drive for improved safety, through reduced cornering speeds. That didn't stop most riders lapping faster in the test than they had in the race though, partly due to improved track conditions."

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/motogp/news/171121-0/bridgestone__good_start_to_single_tyre_era.html

[JDS 07 S4Rs]

Well. I am all for Nicky doing well next season. But, I sure hope they change the paint job & his leathers.  looks like a Storm tropper from Stars Wars.