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Winning the MotoGP World Championship has done nothing to quell Nick Hayden's honesty, forthrightness, and "good-guy" persona. He's still the Kentucky Kid, after all, and being that means he's a straight shooter, a family man, and certified bad-ass with a bike underneath him. We sat down with His Nickness on this, the eve of the 2007 MotoGP season, and we asked him about last season, this season, the new 800s, a possible second GP just a stone's throw from the OWB, and, of course, his Dad. Here's what he said:
Q- Nick, how is your shoulder?
A- Yeah, it's pretty good, honestly. I mean, it's rotator cuff surgery, and fixing that collarbone, that was a big deal. The doctors told me it was going to take a while. I could have honestly probably done with another little bit of time more, and maybe a sling and some light rehab, but it wasn't really on the calendar. I think it'll be a lot better now, too, once we're racing and not doing so many laps in a day. It's pretty good. I hope - it's really not affecting my lap times at all. Sometimes it bothers me a bit, especially at the end of the day, it's sore and stuff. But I've got the strength back in it now. It's not really a weakness at all.
Q- All it is, is pain, then.
A- A little bit.
Q- The season's going to start here shortly. How has the off-season gone for you, from your perspective?
A- The off-season's gone not just great. I will say I think it's been my best off-season yet, though, since I've been in MotoGP, if I went back and looked at just every day, every session. Testing for me is something that never really came easy. I always believe, I like to think I'm better at the races. That's when I'm at my best. And also, testing's just - it can be hard. For me. I've really got to focus on it and put a lot of effort into it to make sure I give the team good feedback and stuff, and I feel like I've gotten a lot better and learned a lot. I thought things were going really good after Australia, and then Qatar, the second day there was pretty much a disaster, to be honest with you. Two crashes on one day. Really, those two days were not pretty.
But I kind of got things straightened out a little bit here at Jerez. I'd love to say, "Oh, I just peaked perfect at Jerez, and everything's perfect." I'd be lying if I tried to tell you guys that. But I do feel like I'm enjoying riding the 800 a lot more now than the first few times I rode it. I feel like I'm riding it better. So I'm excited. Testing's been one thing, but the racing's always a lot more fun. I'm excited to go.
Q- How is the RC212 800 different from the 990, from your perspective? Has it caused you to change your riding style drastically?
A- No, I wouldn't say it's drastically changed the riding style. There's definitely parts about it different. Some parts not as much fun. The 990, sure, at times, just a lot of power, and so broad and so smooth. I enjoyed sliding and steering with the rear a bit more. But the 800, you've definitely got to be a bit more smoother, and flow, and you definitely can't be backing it in and all that silly stuff.
At times I'm enjoying riding it more, because it's actually - the 990, at certain times, you were just hanging on. There were parts of the track where it was almost, you couldn't really do much with it, it was riding you. Where the 800, the body position and weight and different places, the rider can get more out of the 800. So I'm enjoying that side of it, being a bit more technical.
Q- Fans will want to know: is the clutch improved on the 212 versus the 211?
A- Yeah, well, as far as doing the starts, yeah, it's perf- it's fine, it's back to normal. They've got it working. But I do think it's still one of the areas where we can improve. It's basically, as far as working areas, still a little bit loose under braking, and stuff.
Q- People are saying the 800s are big 250s. Do you think that's false, or overstated?
A- I think it's a little overstated. I mean, I've never really ridden a 250, so I can't really say. I know a lot of - it sounds good, and it definitely has some logic, I guess, in theory. But at the end of the day, it's still a motorcycle. A 250, a 990, whatever. As a rider, I think, you still have to not look at it like that, or at least I haven't looked at it like that too much. But definitely, if you look at some of the lines and stuff, there's definitely some logic behind that theory.
Q- Over the past few seasons, there's been intense focus on pre-season MotoGP testing. It's just increased again this year, which brings out more qualifying tires, which - being around racing, it just seems so illogical for qualifying tires to be used in the pre-season. Your thoughts?
A- I hate to disagree with the Soup boss over there, but I've got to disagree, because qualifying is so important in MotoGP, the way the rows are. Three to a row in the grid. You can't really afford to give up any time, and I know my first two years in MotoGP - especially my first year - was a disaster qualifying. Since then, I started to test and asking Michelin from time to time to bring me some qualifiers to try in the test, because you've got to have confidence in them. It can really make a big difference, especially if your race setup's not perfect, if you're starting on the first or second row, you can get a good start and still hang in there. But if you're starting 12th, which is on the fourth row or something - which is pretty easy to do, as close as the grid is - you're putting yourself in a big hole. So I don't think - at the end of the test, I don't necessarily - some people maybe just use qualifiers just to look good, put their name on top of the sheets, but we normally try to do it at least one or two qualifiers at the end of the test just to understand. You don't want to get to a race situation and put a qualifier on and then have problems. Because the way the qualifying tires are now, they've just got so much grip that it does change a lot. We use different power settings, different suspension settings. It's not just - qualifiers are not just - sometimes there are two different qualifiers, and you're finding one that you can get a whole lap out of, that's important too. Not going too soft, that's only good for 80% of the lap.
You can't overlook any part of the race. The grid's just as important as the start as the finish as everything. Sure, your race setup's the most important.
Q- But there are riders - not you - that it seems like they have a bad test, the whole pre-season goes very poorly, throw a Q on, and they go okay fast, and they seem sort of complacent with that. They seem satisfied with that. I think it's just masking a huge problem.
A- Yeah. I can't really comment on anybody else. But it does give you a false indication of what's going on, especially like this test, some guys used qualifiers the second day, and some guys waited and used them all during the 40-minute session. So it does give you a bit of a false thing. But it all comes real clear on Sunday when the light goes out. You pretty well know.
Q- What's your relationship like now with Dani Pedrosa?
A- It's all right, actually. I would be lying to you guys if I tried to say, "Oh, it's back to perfect, and we're just one big happy team over there, and we have team meetings together." What happened last year definitely strained it. But I think we're professional enough to know that that was all last year. After I pulled that title off at Valencia, I could let it go. With me and him, it's pretty straight, to be honest. We definitely are not hanging out too much, doing a whole lot of that, but we never really did that before anyway.
Q- I'm sure you saw that his manager, Puig, angrily denied reports that the RC212 was designed by HRC around Pedrosa.
A- I can't really get into that whole game. Sure, when we both sit on the bike, obviously it looks, I could see where people would think that. But I can't say I'm not getting the support I feel like I need from Honda. They're definitely listening to me. I believe like I've got as good a chance as him. I'm not trying to fool myself.
Q- Has there been a clear indication from HRC as to which of you are going to do develeopment on the 212? Is it going to be both of you? Or one? Or ...?
A- I think both. Really, HRC's always been, who's ever getting the results gets the parts. So I think right now, it's kind of been both of us. I can't really say - there's not been - just a lot of development stuff's been coming. It's a completely new bike, so more than anything, we've been working a lot of standard little small issues, getting the bikes to run, getting the settings close. It hasn't got to the point where we've really been just dialing it in. But I'd say, who's ever getting the results is going to get the support, and whoever the lead horse is, is going to get the attention.
Q- The new tire rule for this year, limiting the number of tires on a weekend. How big of an impact is that going to have on racing?
A- Well, it's hard to say. It's also, kind of, I guess, like the 800. We can talk about it, and we can test them, but until the racing really starts, we won't know. I'm honestly not just a huge fan of the tire rule. MotoGP is the elite level of racing. It's the baddest bikes, the baddest tracks, and what I believe personally, the highest level. And then to put on a tire rule almost kind of seems like spec racing, or club stuff.
But I think it'll be - it shouldn't really change a whole lot. Seventeen rears, what we get, is a lot of rears. I would never use probably that many rear tires in a weekend anyway, other than intermediates count if you've got to run cut slicks. But you might not just have so many of the tires you like, so you could have to run Sunday morning warm-up either on a real used tire, or possibly your second choice. Or also your backup tire for the race could also be - you probably won't have your favorite choice for your backup tire. So a lot of strategy's going to go into it. Also depending on the weather, and things like that.
So I don't necessarily know if I like that side of things, but it could be - if you get a big weather temperature change over the course of the weekend, something you're not expecting could really change how many tires you have allotted, because tires are just such a big part of it right now. I think it's huge. Especially more and more all the time, now the front tire, with the higher corner speed, I think, has even made that more important. But I've been pretty happy. Michelin is definitely, I think, working in a good way right now, and we'll see how that plays out once the racing starts.
Q- Possible 2008 USGP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Your thoughts?
A- Yeah. Bring it. Sounds like a great idea to me. I mean, Indy really is in my backyard. That's three hours from home. So yeah, I couldn't be happier with a second GP. Get ?em here at home one more time a year could be good. I think the American crowd definitely seems to be getting behind MotoGP. I haven't even seen the track yet, but three hours from my house, I'm pretty sure I'm going to like the track regardless of what they come up with.
Q- Hypothetical question. Do you think there's a configuration that's going to work at Indy? Looking at the road course via Google Maps, as they have it now, it looks like you're on the side of the tire for a really, really long time in a super-fast section. Clearly, they can't run that configuration.
A- I can't even comment, because I never even watched the F1 race there, and haven't talked to them about it. But I'm sure - I'd be guessing. I'm sure that FIM will come up with something that'll work. If they want the race bad enough, it shouldn't be a problem. But I know it's hard to work inside a speedway.
Q- Both World Superbike and MotoGP start their seasons in Qatar now, which is a slight misfire as compared to when the GP season started in Jerez, Suzuka or places like that. Your thoughts?
A- I'm not really sure. The cigarette sponsor is one of the big reasons. They can run their logos, even though there's not much cigarette money in the sport any more anyway. But you know, I don't care, really. The opener, the first race of the year, is always exciting. Jerez was pretty special. When you roll into the stadium there Sunday morning, first lap, and the bombs are going off, and just the tension is so high, it's pretty special. But the first race, it doesn't really matter. I like racing in front of big crowds, when the bombs are going off, and I think it makes for a special atmosphere. Qatar, with 1000 people in the crowd, doesn't really give you that same feeling you get at Mugello when they're throwing bottles at certain riders and everything else. But I guess that's how the sport - it's growing, and they want to be there.
Q- Can you think back to your early days on the 990, on the RC211, and compare them to your days now? Do you have as much confidence in the 800 now as you did in the early days on the 990?
A- Just the bike, I would say, similar, but I have so much more confidence now just knowing what I'm doing, where I'm at, and it's not - everything's not - and my team, more than anything. I've got, I think, a lot of good guys around me, and I've got to use that to my advantage. I've got a lot of really - HRC, their engineers are pretty serious, and I feel like my crew chief and my main engineer, everybody's really on the same page, so I think that gives me a lot of confidence. We need it. MotoGP's a tough league. I know what I'm up against. These boys aren't playing. It's not amateur night. You've got to be strong every week, and be ready to go.
Q- Regarding the 212, reading between the lines in the press releases, it seems like you could use another gear. It seems to be lacking in power this early on.
A- Yeah, I mean, I don't want to just fill out a list of where our weak points are for our competition or anybody, but it's been pretty well stated that top speed hasn't been our strong point. So that's definitely one of the areas we're working to improve. People think Honda can just hit a switch and find horsepower, but it's not quite that easy. With keeping the bike rideable, and manageable, and not something that's just going to chew up tires. I think that's one of our weaker points right now is top speed. I hope that's one thing they're working on over there in Japan.
Q- In recent days, there's been a lot of focus on the health of the championship since Roberts announced that there was a strong chance, if he didn't find enough sponsorship, he wasn't going to be able to go racing. As World Champion, what are your thoughts on that?
A- I'm a rider, that's all I really worry about. But it does seem like something's wrong. They talk about the numbers are just so far up, and I know just the crowds from the years - I've been there five years, and just - there was 30,000 people at a test yesterday, so that's got to tell you there is definitely people watching. But it still seems - for me, it seems like people ought to be waiting in line to get their logo on the side of big Kenny's bike. Obviously, I think, it needs some attention. If a team like that - last year, Kenny proved that he could - they podiumed races, and were serious contenders, so something's wrong. Dorna or somebody, it seems like, needs to be doing something different to attract more sponsors, I think.
Q- Really, if you look at it historically, this is just the latest development. Clifford and MacLean's team is gone, no bikes, no sponsors. Pons dropped out last year, no sponsor. Now Roberts. And Gresini is in there as well—he's complaining he doesn't have a sponsor either. So it doesn't ... the championship isn't as strong on some levels as it is on others.
A- Yeah. We can't sugarcoat it and say it doesn't have some areas. I'm a fan of the sport. I want to see the teams be able to hire good riders, pay the mechanics, pay the staff and everything else. So definitely, I hope that somebody's doing something to try to increase it, because with the TV numbers, something's missing why they're not waiting in line.
Q- Switching gears: A lot of people think that a dream situation would be for you to ride for Team Roberts.
A- Well, I mean, yeah, it sounds cool, and to ride for Team Kenny would be - I don't know how you'd say it, but in a dream world it'd be pretty cool. But I'm not ready to trade my Repsol ride in for anything right now. I'm real happy where I'm at. I'm at the team I want to be on. That's why I pushed so hard to stay at Honda, and why I wanted to be there, and didn't go chase the money at any other team. I stayed right where I wanted to be, and to be honest, I'm right where I want to be.
But Kenny, I talked to him Sunday night after the test, and I always try to chat with him. He is a legend. But I'm not ready to trade in that factory Repsol ride for a satellite team, by no means.
Q- Do you have any good Earl stories to close this interview out?
A- Earl stories, or girl stories?
Q- Ah, Earl stories. This is a family website.
A- Oh yeah, actually yeah. At Jerez he got in my rental car, and he was going to start it from the right side, but it was in gear, and it fired up, and he claims that he about took out a bunch of scooters. He jumped over into the driver's seat and got his foot on the brake just in time before he cleaned out half a building. And he's got eyewitnesses for that. So I'm not sure why he's proud about it, but it was quite a laugh with some of the boys there at the team. But no damage was done.
He dodged a bullet there. I think he's going to have to stick to his Second Chance automatic. No more of the diesel-powered, stick shift Euro stuff.
Fonte: Superbikeplanet.com
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