MotoGP – Phillip Island Day 1 – Hayden: "What a strange day"

Ninth time today at Phillip Island for Nicky Hayden, who, due to these strange weather conditions, cannot say exactly whether or not he has taken the right path for setting up the bike. However he doesn't seem too worried about his ninth position, as he is convinced that with some changes he can improve further. And he doesn't seem to be hoping for anything specific about the weather, he'll simply see what it will be like tomorrow morning when he wakes up. The word is up to him.

“What a strange day. It was as if the "big man" up there wanted to have a laugh. This morning we started on rain tyres, then switched to intermediates and finally did about two laps on slicks, then it rained again. By the end of the session, we were back on slicks again. It was pretty much the same in the afternoon: we did a few laps in the dry and then the rain came. The conditions were quite tough and it was very windy, so it wasn't easy today, but Phillip Island can be like that at this time of year. I can't say that we really found the right direction with the set-up because every time we went out on track, the conditions were always a little different. However I feel a little better than my position suggests and my ideal time would place me in sixth position. We'll take a look at the data, make some changes tonight and see what the weather holds for us tomorrow.”

Marika Farinazzo