“It’s a pretty frustrating result because the team did a great job with the bike after the warm-up and it was a lot of fun to ride. Unfortunately I didn’t get a good start – we’ve been having some little clutch problems and didn’t get away well.”

“The race was really fun, everybody was going back and forth, I was able to make some moves in the corners but just didn’t really have the top speed in the straights. It’s hard for me to dress this result up because I’m not happy to finish fourth again but the good thing is we were in the hunt again. We did something good with the bike today so hopefully it will work at Assen, a circuit I love.”

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“After qualifying in ninth I’d have taken fourth place in the race and been quite happy with it, but to have the bike working so well in the race and to get beat like that, it hurts!” admitted Hayden. “It would have been so great to start the season with at least a podium.”

“Nevertheless, we made a couple of little changes for the race which really helped the bike and I was able to ride how I wanted and push hard. It felt good to be up front, it wasn’t easy but I was pushing hard and it was achievable. I enjoyed the race, but it would be nice to have been up on the podium. I still think it’s a decent result to have gained, we have some good points and there is a long season to go. I’ll have plenty more opportunities so I’ll just have to come back and find that next bit.”

“Our bike is good this year, I have no complaints. It sometimes takes me too long to get comfortable but this week we practiced and qualified in two days and it wasn’t until just before the race we made some small changes which gave me some better grip and just made the whole bike work better.”

“A big thanks to my team and everybody at Ducati as they have worked really hard to help me this winter, and we have made a lot of changes. It’s been a lot of work but I have enjoyed it and hopefully I can give them some results to repay them, and we can be up there every week.”

On Grand Prix of Japan in two weeks time

”Japan hasn’t been the greatest track for me over the last few years, so it’ll be hard but we’re going there to get our heads down and try to qualify well.”

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Casey Stoner

“We are quite happy with the test. Today didn’t start really well because of the rain and the wet track, which set us back a few hours, but when it finally did dry out we were able to make some progress,” Stoner said. “We have definitely improved the set-up of the bike, trying some different things with the swingarm. The lap times are still not where we want them to be and we have to work on taking another couple of tenths off on hard tyres, but to be consistently doing 2’01.9 or 2’02.0 laps is a decent pace.”

“Considering that we are using a different engine to the one we’ve had for the last three years and some other new parts that we still need to get the best out of we certainly can’t be unhappy with where we’re at. There is work to do but we have two more test sessions before the season starts for real. In general I am really pleased with how it’s gone.”

Nicky Hayden

“I am satisfied but I could be happier. These past two days have flown by and the weather hasn’t helped us to make the most of the track time available. Anyway, this morning we got the chance to find a wet setting for the new forks and engine. When we went out in the dry I could feel an instant improvement on yesterday and I set a decent pace but then we didn’t improve further. I would have liked to post a better lap time but just when we put some new tyres in the rain came back. However, it was a very positive test and I can’t wait to get back to work at the next one in a couple of weeks’ time.”

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Claudio Domenicali

“The main changes to the bike are based on the rule changes, so the major part of the work was done precisely to make it perform better using only six engines for the entire championship. It’s a very important difference, because we were used to using more-or-less one engine per race, so to switch from 18 engines to six is a very important adjustment. All of the main parts were redesigned – pistons, rods, crankshaft, the basics. It’s an engine with which our main objective was to minimize the loss of power to increase durability.”

“The second big news isn’t related to the rules, but to our attempt to make the bike more rideable. This has to do with the firing order. We have a motor that, since the switch to 800cc, utilized a screamer set-up. This has permitted us to have maximum power, which was very important and was probably fundamental with the results that we’ve had in 2007, 2008 and 2009, but at a certain point, we began to wonder whether it could be worthwhile to re-test a way that we’d already followed in the past. The last 1000cc motors that we made in 2005 and 2006 used a big-bang firing order, and this gave us important rideability. We re-tested that way, first trying it on the dyno, then with Vittoriano Guareschi in his previous role as test rider and then with Nicky and Casey.”

“We think we have a bike for 2010 with better traction, and that therefore makes it easier for us to find a good set-up. Another part of the work was dedicated to the chassis. In the pursuit of ease of use, we’ve worked to eliminate the bike’s squatting, which is why the entire rear portion of the bike was redesigned. This bike has a rear structure that carries the rider – which we call the seat support – and that also supports the swingarm. That part was redesigned to have six mounting points instead of four; this makes the bike more rigid in a way and it guarantees better rideability and improved rigidity. With respect to the bike we introduced last year, this bike is also aesthetically different because of the redesigned fairing but we already saw that at Estoril.”

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Both were pleased with the changes made to their machines by Filippo Preziosi, with Stoner’s best lap of 1’31.900 the fastest of all riders across the three days, as he tested a new engine configuration.

Casey Stoner

“We were able to understand the bike a little better today and the fantastic weather conditions certainly helped. It was a pleasant surprise when we got up this morning and it allowed us to work well. I’m satisfied with this three-day test and with the new characteristics of the bike, in particular the extra traction in corner exit. It is still difficult to figure out exactly the best time to open the throttle, but we’re getting there and it is a case of more practice and improving the set-up.”

Hayden, whose 1’32.805 was the third quickest lap of the final day, was also content with what had been achieved.

Nicky Hayden

“We worked on confirming a few things today and I think we found what we were looking for. I like the changes we’ve introduced to the bike; the power delivery is definitely more progressive although we still need to find the ideal setting for it. I’m happy—I think we’re on the right track and have had three important days here that should help us make a lot of progress in the next test, and close the gap to the front guys down even more.”

MotoGP.com

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Ducati Corse announced on Thursday that Nicky Hayden will sign a one year extension to his current agreement and will line up alongside Casey Stoner in the Ducati Marlboro team for 2010.

The news comes ahead of Hayden’s second appearance for Ducati in Italy, at the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, and on the back of his first podium for the factory at his home event at Indianapolis last weekend.

Nicky Hayden

“This has been a very good week and this news just adds to that. After the good result in Indy, now to renew the deal with Ducati is exactly what I wanted. I’m very happy. I always had faith and believed that we could achieve good results.”

“I’m excited for these last five races of the 2009 season, and if you look at the progression we have made from the start of the season to the middle, hopefully we will continue this through to the end. I just wish to say a big thanks to all the guys who made this happen, especially everybody in Ducati, as well as all our sponsors.”

Claudio Domenicali

“The confirmation of Nicky is the right reward for a rider who has been shown to perfectly embody the frame of mind that characterises Ducati – passion, determination and commitment. We have always considered Nicky to be an important asset to the Ducati 2010 strategy and we are very happy that he will remain in the Ducati Marlboro team. His progression through the season has been constant up to the podium in Indianapolis and we are certain that the experience he has gained will be decisive for a 2010 season full of success.”

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A determined run to third place on Sunday at Indianapolis was a big plus for Nicky Hayden ahead of this weekend’s visit to Italy for the Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini.

Hayden has described his season so far with Ducati as the most challenging period of his life so it was a huge relief to finally show some true competitiveness on the Desmosedici GP9 in front of his own fans, a week before racing in front of the team’s passionate supporters at Misano.

The American rider is hugely popular amongst the ‘Ducatisti’ due to his cheerful nature and his hard-working approach to racing. In the absence of Casey Stoner, who is due to return next month at Estoril Hayden is the Italian factory’s number one rider, leading the team forward with the assistance of temporary replacement rider Mika Kallio.

Thousands of Ducati fans will pack into Misano’s ‘Variante del Parco’ corner for Sunday’s race and Hayden is looking forward to giving them something to shout about.

“At Mugello I realised how special it is to race for Ducati in Italy so hopefully I can give all the Ducatisti even more reason to party.” He commented. “I know it won’t be easy and I can’t get overconfident even though everything went so well at Indy.”

“The little time we’ve had since Sunday’s race has flown by and even though I would have liked to have a bit more time to reflect on last weekend, Misano is right on us and that is what we have to focus on. Last year I rode in practice but wasn’t able to take part in the race because of a foot injury. Still, I like the circuit and there are a couple of fast right-handers at the end of the lap, in particular, that are a lot of fun.”

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It has been a tough season for Nicky, but his determination and perseverance to improve made this result even more special—where he was quoted as saying, “This season has been biggest challenge of my life.” Read more of his post-race thoughts below.

“It is great to be on the podium. I am really happy. Everybody knows what a hard season it has been and to be honest it has been the biggest challenge of my life. We have hung in there and caught a couple of breaks today, and I was able to get on the podium again.”

“I am happy to be up here spraying a little bubbly (champagne)! I have to say a big thanks to all my team, all my family and all my supporters for sticking behind me.”

“He (Andrea Dovizioso) was all over me and I was getting a lot of heat so I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to hold on. It was all or nothing on the last couple of laps and I managed to hold him off, so hopefully we can just keep building on this. I am very pleased and I’m going to enjoy it!”

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“The bike felt pretty good from the beginning and after trying something new on the other bike, which didn’t work, we went back to the standard setting and went from there. The track was really tricky because there were sections with a lot of standing water and others where the grip was amazing – you had to be really on your toes.”

“Over the last couple of laps I just went for it because I knew I had a chance to be on top today and this is the highest I’ve been in any session this year. I’m up front with a smile on my face, so it ain’t so bad!”

“If something unexpected happens and it does rain in qualifying or on Sunday we have got some great information, but we only have a little bit of dry data. It is nice to be wet because I can be at the top, but I really need more dry time. If it is going to be dry on Sunday we want it to be dry on Saturday so that we can get a direction because it takes me time to get on the pace.”

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1. Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1’56.595 294.599
2. Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1’56.994 293.000 0.399
3. Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team Honda 1’57.584 297.684 0.989
4. Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1’57.741 290.556 1.146
5. Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team Honda 1’58.172 294.037 1.577
6. Toni Elias San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1’58.295 288.847 1.700
7. Mika Kallio Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1’58.302 296.296 1.707
8. Alex De Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1’58.497 289.699 1.902
9. Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1’58.582 294.599 1.987
10. Marco Melandri Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1’58.739 292.682 2.144
11. James Toseland Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1’58.764 290.556 2.169
12. Nicky Hayden Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1’58.821 291.183 2.226
13. Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1’59.041 290.010 2.446
14. Randy De Puniet LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1’59.055 290.791 2.460
15. Niccolo Canepa Pramac Racing Ducati 1’59.531 289.855 2.936
16. Gabor Talmacsi Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1’59.979 292.365 3.384
17. Michel Fabrizio Pramac Racing Ducati 2’00.423 292.762 3.828

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