hayden stays on at ducati

[spike spiegel]

according motogpmatters.com, ducati has exercised the option on nicky hayden's contract and he will remain with the factory team thru 2010. way to go, nicky!

[causeofkaos]

probably has to do with the hayden 848 ?

[derby]

probably has to do with the hayden 848 ?

more to do with his progress on the bike and the fact that nobody else wants to ride it.

[Langanobob]

more to do with his progress on the bike and the fact that nobody else wants is able to to ride it.

Fixed it?

[derby]

Fixed it?

well, rumor has it that two guys that've ridden the thing turned down the opportunity.

the other guys probably read between the lines.

[Porsche Monkey]

Good luck Hayden. 

[Grampa]

I'd ride it.

[kingbaby]

I'd ride it.

+1

Wait! ... I'd crash it. 

[redxblack]

It would be INTERESTING to see what Rossi could do on it and what Stoner (when he's healthy) could do on a Yamaha.

But congrats and good luck Hayden.

[DucHead]

What makes Ducati's GP bike so difficult to ride?

[fastwin]

Good damn question! How come everyone with two legs and a heart beat can ride the Hondas and Yammyhammers but only Stoner can ride the "beast" to a podium. If Pedrobot and Rossi hadn't crashed at Indy Hayden would have been off the podium. Glad he was there! I can see why they went after Capirossi with a bag of cash since they think he might still be the chosen one. Good for him for turning them down. And good for the Kentucky Kid for re-signing! If they let him go the Hayden 848s would be like an Edsel to try and sell. Shouldn't you really do something on a bike before they make a replica of it? Just saying. Glad I've hung onto my '82 Hailwood Replica, '83 KZ1000R Lawson Rep and '04 RC51 Hayden Rep. Still, all things considered, good for Nicky!!

[DoubleEagle]

Do you suppose Troy would ride it for one season if Ducati offered him an amount he couldn't refuse ?

If my memory is correct, Troy won a MotoGP race after he captured the '08 WSBK Chamionship and announced his retirement.

He won on the big Duc.

Dolph       

[psycledelic]

Worst case would be cutting Hayden loose and him hooking back up with Honda (who is due for a new bike soon) and Ducati getting its ass kicked by Hayden and his new team.  Talk about drawing spotlight to the Ducati GP bike. 
I really don't get what all of the fuss is about though.  How much harder can it be to ride?  I know that the inline 4 and the twins are very different, but once you get used to the bike, seems like you would just go with it.  (That coming from a guy who has yet to even make it to a track day!)

[fastwin]

The Duc is a V-4 not a twin. You sure can see the rear end of the Duc really squirming out of the turns. I've watched Stoner power out of some turns and I've thought to myself how in the hell does he not get spit off? Not big slides or the rear kicking way out just a high speed wiggle like it's hinged. Maybe the same guy who made the '69 H1 Kawi frames now has his kid laying up the carbon fiber swingarms for the Duc team?

[desmodue]

The Duc is a V-4 not a twin. You sure can see the rear end of the Duc really squirming out of the turns. I've watched Stoner power out of some turns and I've thought to myself how in the hell does he not get spit off? Not big slides or the rear kicking way out just a high speed wiggle like it's hinged. Maybe the same guy who made the '69 H1 Kawi frames now has his kid laying up the carbon fiber swingarms for the Duc team?

The H1 had a piece of junk mild steel frame/swingarm. The swingarm was positioned in the frame using a plastic bushing. A good bicycle has a better design. That frame/swingarm was good for an engine making about 40 hp at best. The big Kaw would twist and flex the swingarm/pivot/noodle tube frame anytime the throttle was twisted hard. This was accomplished with all of maybe 70 hp on a well tuned machine.

The Ducati CF framed GP bike isn't flexing, of all the unknowns about that bike's issues, flexing the chassis isn't one of them. Yes, it bucks and jerks and tries to spit riders off that are brave enough to wring it's neck...but the wheels stay in line (with each other) and forward progress is made, not always pretty, but it is violently semi-effective in controlling 220 hp.

I wonder if the CF frame is too rigid, it wasn't that long ago when superbikes started to design some of the rigidity out of frames. I believe Honda even used the term "tuned flex"

Mr. Hayden has made the observation that one of the reasons Casey is able to get so much out of the Ducati is because he (Casey) is so smooth opening the throttle. Apparently this was a subject of discussion withing the team, and most feel that it does have some merit. Suppo stated that with Stoner's throttle control, he could have been a top rider in the 500cc era when the bikes were even more difficult to ride.

It would be interesting to see which bike/rider was at the front if they took away the electronics.