Destination: Ducati

Nicky Hayden won AMA and world titles with Honda. Now, he aims for success with Ducati.

By Matthew Miles | Photos by Mark Wernham

May 2009

Photos: Nicky Hayden >>

Little-known fact: Honda offered Nicky Hayden an RC212V for 2009. But not before HRC pulled the rug from under him.

Eight races into last season, Honda told Hayden's management that the 2006 MotoGP world champion was out of a job. Thanks for the memories. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.

Hayden's camp was stunned. So, too, were higher-ups at American Honda. The Kentucky native had long played a vital role in the division's marketing plan. "We need Nicky," they allegedly begged Japan.

Hayden himself welcomed the chance for a fresh start. In fact, when asked where he wanted to go next, he replied, "My favorite color is red." By July's U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, Hayden was already rumored to be riding for Ducati in 2009.

HRC came back to the table and offered Hayden a satellite Gresini Honda — a demotion. Ducati, having released beleaguered Italian Marco Melandri from a two-year contract, also made a bid for Hayden: join then-number-one Casey Stoner on the factory team. He took the Ducati deal.

Hayden struggled mightily the past two seasons. In 35 starts, his best finish was second last September in the driving rain at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Partly, the problem was machine size. When Hayden first saw the stub-tailed RC212V, the 800cc replacement for his title-winning 990cc RC211V, his jaw hit the floor.

"The bike was so small," recalled Phil Baker, Hayden's manager. "We were sure it was a joke. We expected Ashton Kutcher to run into the garage and tell Nicky he'd been 'Punk'd.'"

Hayden pressed on, earning three podiums and finishing '07 in eighth overall. Hope came last season in the form of a pneumatic-valve version of the Honda V-Four, delivered grudgingly. Following near victory at Indy, he finished strong: In the final four races — Japan, Australia, Malaysia and Valencia — he ran near the front and was never worse than fifth.

Hayden departs now on a new journey. I met him this past January at a Newport Beach, California, photo studio, where he posed for Swiss watchmaker Tissot, a personal sponsor. He had just returned from the Dolomites and the Ducati MotoGP team launch. Two weeks later, he flew to Malaysia to test the Desmosedici GP09 and new series-spec Bridgestone tires. The season begins in April under the lights in Qatar.

You're a big star now. But I think your success comes from dedication, not your looks or smile.
"I realize my job is to promote my team and sponsors, so I do it. I show up just like you show up: on time and prepared. But I truly have a passion for the sport. I love competing and riding motorcycles. That's who I am. I don't think of myself as a pretty boy sitting for the camera.

"Sometimes, it's a drag, especially when it interferes with training. Right now, for example, I don't want to go to Europe, travel around on trains, in cars and do photos. I feel like I should be on a bicycle, in a gym, riding supermoto, doing something that's going to help me win races.

"On the other hand, the sport has been really good to me and my family. I never want to give the hard-luck story, but it's not like I was born into GPs. It was a long road to get here. I started out in Kentucky at the end of Earl's Lane; it was a dirt road. I'm really grateful for the breaks I've had, and I don't want to let this opportunity go. I realize how lucky I am. I get on my knees every night.

"I never claimed that I dominated the season or I was the fastest guy in 2006. But I held on, and when I really had my back against the wall, I was able to man-up. I went into the last race eight points down on the guy who many people consider to be one of the greatest riders of all time, and I pulled it out. That's what makes it so much more special. That was a proud day."

At Valencia several years ago, you were needlessly blipping the throttle between downshifts. When I asked about that, you recalled racing 600s in AMA competition. You said, "Old habits die hard." Do you now have a greater trust in the electronics?
"I certainly trust them more, and I still have more to learn. Sometimes, the electronics are quite scary. You begin to trust them, and then something will happen. They don't work the way they did the lap before. Or the Auto Lean (EFI mapping) comes on. They're not always the same.

"Now, I have a completely different system. It's so advanced that I really have to be focused and mentally prepared to work with the engineers. We're changing the electronics for different parts of the race, different parts of the track, each corner — entry and exit — and each gear. Now, with fuel consumption so important, you've got to look at what's better for the fuel.

"In some ways, it's unfortunate that the electronics control more than what you control with your right wrist. In the past, if I had a problem, I'd stay out there, figure it out and ride through it. Now, I'm better off coming in and letting someone get out his laptop, hit some buttons and fix the problem for me.

"The electronics also work with the suspension. After my second run at the Jerez test, once the lap time was decent and it was time to start making some changes, I would normally have started with some suspension tweaks and see what direction worked for me. But they jumped straight into fixing my problems with electronics. That was probably the thing that surprised me the most."

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