Former MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden bears it all in our exclusive interview ahead of this weekend’s Malaysian MotoGP.
Since winning his one and only world title in 2006, things haven’t gone according to plan for American rider Nicky Hayden. Also known as ‘The Kentucky Kid’, Hayden’s has since left the comforts of a full works team such as Honda and Ducati, settling for the Honda-powered Drive M7 Aspar privateer outfit this year in the Open Class.
While things could be better, Hayden remains upbeat about things and shares his insight about his journey so far. This weekend’s Malaysian MotoGP race would be a big one for him and the team as both Hayden and title sponsors Drive M7’s each have equally strong fan bases here.
Here’s what we managed to garner from the seemingly down-to-earth Kentucky native.
Firstly, how is your injured wrist healing?
“My hand is healing. You know, It’s a lot better than it was obviously there in the middle of the season when I had to stop and make a big operation. Now it’s a lot better. I wish I was performing a little bit better, but I need some more time to really get little bit more healthy but we’re back and still kicking. Not too bad.”
Are you concerned with the weather in Sepang this weekend?
“Well the weather for MotoGP is normally not a big problem because we race rain or shine. But yesterday, I seen some big rain that obviously wouldn’t be safe and the race would probably have to be stopped. But normal rain is not bad and this is a track that’s really good in the rain because it drains normally very good and the temperature is warm so it’s easy to heat the rain tyres and make them work. Now, if it rains so that hard we can’t see, could affect the race.”
How’s the season for you so far?
“Well, you know, I’m not goin’ to kid anybody. I’m not happy with my season. The bike has not been as really competitive as we’d hoped. The bike is great, but the engine is missing a little bit of performance compared to official MotoGP bikes. And my injury has been a big hindrance. I’ve missed five races and I’ve been at less than my 100% than the others. I’m not happy but I’m very motivated to work hard to get back to my best strength and try to bring some good result to this team. Because I like this team, I like the sponsor, and I think we can some fun if we get all the pieces together.”
Could you share with us about the difference being in a privateer team than in a factory-backed works team?
“Well I like the team, they have a lot of motivation. Of course, a factory team is also nice sometimes, a bigger budget and more resources for the team and some nice thing. But also we have a lot more freedom here to explore different routes and settings.”
Personally, what are you looking forward to in Sepang this weekend?
“We want to do a good race. We’re desperate. It’s a home track for our sponsor, for a lot of our supporters. I have a lot of fans in Malaysia, so of course we want to do the maximum.”
Any messages for your fans here?
“Well my message would be just thank you! Like I said, I have so much support every time I come here. Also, on my social network, a lot of Malaysian fans are supporting me, as well as many others in this part of the world in particular. Of course, home in America, I have a lot of support but this week, we spent a couple of days in Indonesia and the response has really been great. So I say thank you, I appreciate your support through a season where it has not been so easy. So I hope next year I can give a lot better.”
To our surprise, Nicky did hear of the tragic superbikes accident on the Karak Highway last weekend. Nicky had this to say to fans about being safe:
“Yeah, I did get word of that. Well, bikes, we know can be dangerous. I think that’s why it’s so important to keep safety in mind. Of course, the right protection gear is crucial. Definitely, bikes are the most awesome things, but you got to respect them.”
Earlier this week, Nicky also took part in a demonstration run with his MotoGP bike in the nation’s governmental capital of Putrajaya. Nicky, along with national riders Azlan Shah, Zulfahmi Khairuddin, Hafiq Azmi, the weekend’s wildcard rider Hafiza Rofa, as well as some of our boys from the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup.
If you missed out on the action held on Wednesday, check out the photo gallery below to see how Nicky’s day out with out with the local boys went.
Additional Images courtesy of Drive M7 Aspar MotoGP team.
