MotoGP news

Hayden ready for Turkish challenge

World Champion Nicky Hayden and his team-mate Dani Pedrosa will be riding the new
800cc Honda RC212V for the first time at this track and aiming to quickly arrive at the optimum balance of machine settings for Sunday's 22-lap race.

Perhaps more significantly, Istanbul Park will be the first circuit where the new tyre regulations, which limit each rider to 17 rear tyres and 14 fronts for the entire race weekend are expected to present a real puzzle to the teams. Without the benefit of pre-season testing, the riders and their crews will be intent on finding the right strategy as they pre-select all the tyres for the race weekend on Thursday evening. To this end, the Repsol Honda Team will have detailed discussions with the Michelin technicians, taking into account previous experience from this track and the expected weather and temperatures for the weekend.

Casey Stoner comes to Istanbul with 36 points after two races, only nine points behind early championship leader Valentino Rossi in the standings.

Nicky Hayden commented on the upcoming Turkish Grand Prix: "It's been a good few weeks off and so I'm definitely looking forward to getting back into it in Turkey and really getting the summer started.

"Istanbul Park is quite a cool track, especially with that fast 5th gear corner. On the 990cc bike that corner was wild, though on these bikes it might not really be a corner any more - it'll be interesting to see how the 800s feel through there.

"It's a really good track and I like the layout because it's got some serious elevation changes. Turn's One's really technical and TV doesn't really do that corner justice. People at home on the couch don't really see how blind the entry is and what a drop off there is, so that's pretty fun. It's been a decent track to me in the past and I'm looking forward to racing there again."

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