Called up by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS to replace Jack Miller at Aragon, Nicky Hayden put in a race full of determination to take the point for fifteenth place at the finish of the fourteenth race of the season.
The 35-year-old American driver who qualified in 19th position quickly gained five places after the start. Fighting with Michele Pirro, Hector Barbera and Eugene Laverty, the 2006 MotoGP world champion fought tirelessly in front of the 70 spectators who came to watch this penultimate European Grand Prix of the season.
The tests and qualifying had not been easy for Hayden who, in Aragon, discovered the new Honda RC213V, the Michelin tires and the new electronic management software. Despite everything, taking advantage of his immense experience, the American driver managed to maintain a strong pace in the race to prevent, in the final laps, Yonny Hernandez from stealing his fifteenth place.
Victim of a fall on the seventeenth lap, Tito Rabat lost the opportunity, for the ninth time in fifteen Grands Prix, to score a few points. Victim of a fall this morning during warm-up, the Spaniard nevertheless adopted a conservative approach at the start of the race. It is true that the track was fresher than during testing. Rabat fell at turn five as he prepared to attack for a top fifteen finish.
Nicky Hayden: 15th
“I have to say that the race was the best moment of my weekend. On Friday, I had underestimated the time it would take me to get to grips with my new package, particularly the Michelin tires, and even more so the front. I was far away on Friday, but I was able, in the race, to fight with Pirro, Laverty and Barbera who still stuck to me by two seconds per lap on the first day of testing. I got off to a good start and as I got back together with the others I started to feel better and better. I would have liked to have had a second round, like in Superbike, because I think that with the experience of this race I could have done better in the second. But it's true that I still thought I would be more efficient from the start. That wasn't the case even though I was obviously aware that my task would be difficult without having been able to do any testing first. . In any case, I would like to thank Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS for giving me this opportunity. I was proud to work for such a team. »
Tito Rabat: DNF
“I lost a little confidence after my crash this morning in warm up. I didn't get a good start either, and I made the first few laps quite cautiously. I was afraid of lacking feeling with the front. Once I started to get into my rhythm and felt a little more comfortable I lost the front and ended up on the ground. It's a big disappointment because I could have finished in the points today. We obviously need to find solutions so that I can regain confidence going forward. I fell three times in Misano and as many times in Aragon. Something is wrong and we need to find out what it is because otherwise I'm going to run out of leathers soon. »
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“It's regrettable that Tito couldn't finish the race today because if we take his times we see that he was riding at the same pace as the group of drivers who were fighting for tenth place. Once again he fell, losing his front. He has obviously lost confidence in his machine and we will have to work to allow him to regain his footing during the next three overseas races. Nicky did a good job. His mission was not easy because he had a lot of things to discover this weekend. He scored a point, which is not nothing when we know the difficulties encountered by Jack and Tito to finish in the fifteen recently. In any case, I would like to thank him on behalf of the entire team. It has been a privilege for all of us to work with such a MotoGP legend and professional rider. »
