Nicky Hayden Interview Part Two

Read part one of the interview here: Nicky Hayden Interview Part One

American Nicky Hayden was able to silence some of the critics after scoring his first-career win in the World Superbike Championship in race two at Sepang. That road to that first win wasn't easy though. There was a lot to learn, and there probably still is, but that’s to be expected.

After 13-year tenure in MotoGP, Nicky Hayden obviously had some adjustments to make in his move to World Superbike – new team, new bike and new series. Yes, Hayden’s roots were Superbike racing, but still everyone wondered how long it would take him to adapt. There was even some that questioned, after so many dry years, whether or not he still had it in him to be competitive again; no matter the series. Hayden didn’t hang up his hat and ride off into the sunset for one reason – he felt he still had it in him to fight for wins. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t a little bit nervous about the switch.

“I was a little bit nervous because we have seen some MotoGP riders who come to Superbike and go fast, but there has also been some who come here that can’t do it,’ Hayden said. “They are so used to the stiff bike and the stiff tires, it’s just too much to get used to.”

For Hayden that wasn’t a problem, the bike wasn’t a big issue, he adapted to that quite quickly. He also gelled well with the team. So the biggest adjustment was the series itself. There are a few new tracks, but one of the main differences was the one-bike rule, something that makes refining set-up on a new bike more difficult.

“There’s still a lot to learn. During the weekend a few new tracks… But the mentality of only having one bike,” he explained. “You have to approach the sessions a bit different and you can’t always try some of the stuff that you want because unless you are pretty convinced, if you try something you’re stuck with that for the whole session. You know, you can’t change a swing arm pivot in an hour session, or a geometry.”

Those are the kind of things that you hopefully get sorted in pre-season testing, but winter in Europe, even Southern Europe, is not always accommodating. “It was a shame we lost so much time this winter with weather. There was a couple of things on base settings – wheel base, geometry – that I would have like to have had a little more finalized.”

The other challenge was the new series schedule. Now that races are split between Saturday and Sunday, instead of both on Sunday, there’s less practice time.

“I love the two races, I must say,” he said. “Probably my favorite thing about Superbikes. I think it’s better for the riders, the teams, the fans – everybody, but also it’s quite demanding. You get the one-hour session on Friday afternoon, you get a 15-minute practice Saturday morning but it’s eight in the morning, when the track is so cold you can’t normally even use the race tire. So that one-hour session on Friday afternoon is very important.”

Basically, there’s not a lot of time to make adjustments and figure things out, especially with the one-bike rule. It’s not rocket science to suggest that it would have made it easier for Hayden if they had the doubleheader on Sunday (as was the tradition), but Hayden wasn’t going to go to cry over spilt milk. The schedule is the schedule, and you deal with it.

I don't know, I guess if we had two races on Sunday and I had another session on Saturday, maybe it was better,” he admitted. “Nonetheless, it’s all ifs and buts… So, yeah it’s definitely some things to get used to, but I’m enjoying the challenge.”

So what was the most difficult thing to adjust to? According to Hayden, it was the normal things: “I think the hardest thing, like normal, is the pace. I need to find a little bit of speed.”

It’s a work in progress. Hayden is happy with the progression of the bike. There’s been a few snags with DNFs, but Hayden’s also happy with the team’s efforts to remedy that. The big the thorn in his side – qualifying.

“I would say the biggest problem has been my qualifying,” Hayden admitted at Assen. “That's the thing I’ve got to improve most. At the moment, third row, third row… I’m not even shooting for the front row just yet, I’d just like to start getting on a couple of second-row starts and work from there.”

Well he got that second-row start at Sepang. And as mentioned he got that first win. Just after that first win, Hayden said that he was going to soak it up. As one would expect, after a 10-year drought, but Hayden’s not there for just “a” win. He’ll clearly be looking for more. After his first podium at Assen, Hayden was happy, but didn’t get carried away. For the 2006 World Champion it was “something to build on.” It will be interesting to see what he can “build on” this first win.