“I AM READY TO GET THE NUMBER 1 BACK” After the World MotoGP Championship ended we stopped to have a chat with the Repsol rider Nicky Hayden so that he could give us a run down on the season and tell us what is in store for us in 2008, that is after making the new RC212V 2008 go through the ropes at the circuit of Cheste. After your first contact what is your impression of the new bike? I am quite impressed with it, this is the first time I have ridden it. It seems to be nearly ready, but obviously we still have a lot of work to do on it and to continue developing it, but it is a good start. If you ask me in a couple of weeks I will be able to tell you more. Compare it to the version in 2007 It is very similar, there are no big differences. Perhaps the biggest are the is the use of pneumatic valves which are attracting all the attention. I like the rider position, the handlebars and the ride which are all very similar to the 2007. I also like the weight transfer, it is not so sudden and not as aggressive as on the previous bike. The Repsol Honda Team announced a few days ago that it would keep its ties with Michelin. Satisfied with this decision? Yes. They have a lot of work to do but that is because they can improve. They have not been at the level expected this year but I am dying to see the material that we are going to use next year. Bridgestone has been ahead of us the whole year and I hope that next season we are stronger. The level this year was not good enough. Have you found something new in the tyre tests this time? It may be, but the most important thing right now is to get used to the bike before thinking about testing new tyres. How hard was it to lose the number 1? It was painful, something hard to swallow, above all because of how I lost it. I would have preferred to have been fighting and to have been stronger, but we were unlucky the whole season. It was a hard blow, I am not going to lie, it was frustrating for the team because because we had hopes of doing really well. We can do things much better. What can I do? Just get over it and go out to win next year. Ready to fight for the number 1 again? Of course. This was a very tough year. I am not at all pleased. Next year I have to ride at a much higher level, hope to be stronger and to have much more fun. What was the best moment in the 2007 season? I would say the pole in Portugal. It was a good reward after what happened there the year before. And it was good for the team because I have confidence in them and they have confidence in me too. The podiums in Holland, Germany and Czech republic were also good moments. And the worst? Not finishing at home, in Laguna Seca, that was very hard. The truth is that there were many bad moments, this what top class racing is like. But I realised that you have to learn form both the bad as well as the good and I am dying to get back on the top. No time to rest, the 2007 season just over last Sunday and Tuesday you were preparing for 2008. Is it too much? No. It is not an easy job, but I know there are a lot worse around. Being a Honda factory rider in MotoGP is a privilege, and I am not going to cry about the work I have. We have travelled a lot in the last two months and in the next two, that is a bit of a drag, it is not all smiles. You are always moving from one place to another, but that goes with the pay cheque. I cannot say that it is too much. It seems that Honda is making a big effort to be competitive again. This is what was seen in the last few races, a very competitive bike. But now the bike is new does that mean that you start from zero again? It is a completely different bike. I would say that in many aspects we are beginning from zero, but from a higher base level. Honda`s commitment in the bad times encouraged me, when the results did not come. They did not give up and that shows what a great company it is. Tell us about your schedule until the end of the year? Really the season never ends. I am going to the Milan Motorbike show, then to New York for the launch of the MTV movie “Kentucky Kid” on TRL, an important programme in the USA to promote it. After that I will go straight to practice in Malaysia. Then my elder brother gets married on Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I have to go to make sure he goes through with it. We are going to have a great time. Finally there is practice in Jerez and then in December everything will slow down, although I have some commitments with sponsors. I will try to spend some time at home and do some physical training.