It was to be feared. Dani Pedrosa will be unable to take up his post on the factory Honda at Phillip Island this weekend, recovering from surgery on his broken collarbone. As a return to the future, Hayden will replace him in Australia.
His violent fall during free practice on Friday left him behind. With a broken right collarbone again, his nineteenth career injury, Dani Pedrosa had immediately left Japan to return to his native Spain and have surgery there. He is now recovering.
At Motegi his motorbike had been entrusted to Aoyama. In Australia, this weekend, it will be the turn of Nicky Hayden to freelance. A reunion with an HRC which will have the 2016 World Champion and the 2006 winner in its fold at Phillip Island! This will be the second time the Kentucky Kid will ride the RC213V this year after having to replace Jack Miller in Aragon.
« First of all I wish Dani the best and I'm sure he will come back even stronger, as he always does,” says Hayden. “ It's going to be a lot of work for me, but it's the opportunity for me to find the 'dream team' ten years after winning my world title with them! Racing a weekend at Phillip Island with an official Honda is going to be a big emotional moment for me and I am very grateful to Honda for this opportunity. I would also like to thank my current team, who gave me permission to race, as well as the sponsors."
« Everyone has worked hard on every detail to make this project possible and I now can't wait to get on the plane, go to Phillip Island and hopefully do a good job for the team. When it comes to Phillip Island, there are always two things to watch out for: the weather and the tires. However, it's a track that I love and I can't wait to ride there."
