Hayden banking on home support in injury comeback
Added on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
Hayden banking on home support in injury comeback
Nicky Hayden is hoping that home comforts can help him back on the recovery trail this weekend, as the MotoGP championship heads to Indianapolis.
Hayden is fully expected to return to action this weekend after surprisingly missing out on the San Marino Grand Prix a fortnight ago in what will be the first Motorcycle Grand Prix at the world renowned Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
It’s as close as Hayden gets to a ‘home’ Grand Prix, born around three hours away in Kentucky, but the former World Champion is still banking on the home support to cheer on the American riders, with Colin Edwards, John Hopkins and Ben Spies also due to line up on the grid.
“For me it´s crazy to be racing a GP three hours from my house!” said Hayden. “I just wish I was going into it healthy. It´s not been long since Misano, though going left around this circuit should be better for my right foot.
“It´s a good time to go home and get some support from the fans. We´ll give it all we´ve got and try to get a good result for them.´
Hayden also admitted that whilst he can bank on home circuit advantage, he will still be facing the same challenges that his competitors face with the first competitive GP event, whilst also coming to terms with a split pit garage for the first time following Dani Pedrosa’s move to Bridgestone.
“Indy´s going to be a big challenge for everyone,” he added, “but I quite enjoy going to new circuits.
“We will use the data the test teams got when they tested there in July to help line up the transmission and so on.
“The track layout doesn´t look so spectacular, because it´s inside an oval so there´s not a lot of room for them to work with, and it´s quite flat. But Indy has a long history and a big tradition and they know how to promote a race. I think they´re going to smash it – put on an awesome event.´
