MotoGP Phillip Island: Nicky Hayden “It's going pretty well, but I thought I was closer to the leaders”

Nicky Hayden is very happy with the new asphalt at Phillip Island, also praised by all his colleagues. The work done at the end of last year has paid off and now driving is much more pleasant, especially due to the lack of potholes. Today there was a lot of wind bothering him, so he will work with the team to try to resolve this problem. In the end he achieved the ninth fastest time ahead of his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso.

“I have to admit that the new asphalt is really excellent. There is a lot of grip and the track is smooth everywhere. I have to compliment the organizers because it is much more fun to ride on this track with more grip and without the potholes. I would have gladly done without the wind, which made life more difficult for us today, but it's like that for everyone and we have to face the situation. In the morning session things went quite well, although I lost some time in the garage due to a small problem with a sensor. In the afternoon we started the session with the same set of tyres, covering a good part of the race distance, and the drop wasn't excessive. However, I would like to be quicker in the fast corners. My GP13 is quite good, but to tell the truth I expected to be a little closer to the leaders.”