If Ducati was on the fence whether to retain Nicky Hayden for 2010, perhaps Sunday’s podium at Indy made the difference. In a post-race press release, Ducati praises Nicky for his performance, his diligent efforts to improve the bike, and his feedback to the Ducati engineers and mechanics. I can’t remember Hayden being praised for his development skills, so this is real news.
Hayden’s podium benefitted, of course, from the crashes of Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa, but it was an impressive performance nonetheless. Now that all of the MotoGP bikes have been allotted a limited number of engines which must last the remainder of the season, the Repsol Honda bikes seem to have moved up a notch in terms of performance. Nevertheless, Hayden held off Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso in the final laps to secure his podium finish. Good stuff.
