MotoGP news
Hayden eyes first victory in Qatar
06 March 2007MotoGP 2006 Champion Nicky Hayden is eying his first victory in Qatar this Saturday. The Repsol Honda rider finished third in 2005 and in second last season after being defeated by the 2006 runner-up Valentino Rossi. Hayden has had no time to relax and is now ready for the opening race at Qatar.
In the off season Hayden underwent surgery on his injured shoulder and, after working back up to full strength, he set the fastest time at the Phillip Island test on the RC212V. In last year's Grand Prix of Qatar Hayden came within 0.9s of the win having duelled with Valentino Rossi for much of the 22-lap race and, despite a tricky test here in February, the World Champion will be confident of battling at the front once again.
Looking ahead at the first race this weekend Hayden said: "Well the waiting's over and I'm fired up to go racing again. It's going to be a proud moment lining up with that number one plate on the front of my bike - it's something I've dreamed of since I was a kid."
"But really that's last year's story and we've got to come out of the gate fast and fight to defend this title right from the first session because the competition in MotoGP is so intense. There's no time to take the glory and relax. We were quick in some of the tests over the winter and made some good progress with this new bike, though the test here at Qatar didn't go too smoothly! So I'm going to have to raise my game starting this weekend.
"The shoulder's pretty much fixed up now and, though I haven't got all the movement back, it's plenty strong enough to ride the bike - we've put in a lot of miles since the operation and it's felt stronger every time. I'm feeling ready for the lights to go out and looking forward to going toe to toe with the boys again."
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