For Nicky Hayden, in 2009, it's bye-bye Honda, hello Ducati...!
Yes, well, the rumour seems to have finally been confirmed – the Kentucky Kid is joining Ducati for the 2009 season. An official statement regarding this is likely to be issued by Hayden’s management on this weekend.
Hayden, who won the MotoGP world championship in 2006 – the last of the 990cc era – hasn’t been doing very well since then. Whether it’s his riding style that didn’t gel with the 800s, or whether Honda optimized the RC212V for a certain Mr Pedrosa, no one will ever know. But the fact remains that the 2007 and 2008 MotoGP seasons have seen poor performances from Hayden.
We’re actually a bit surprised that Ducati are taking on Hayden to ride alongside Stoner. Would a move from Honda to Ducati suddenly, magically, transform Nicky’s riding? We’re not too sure. And to be honest, we think Hayden may prove to be another Melandri on that factory Ducati, which seems to deliver results only in the hands of one Casey Stoner.
In fact – and we’ll stick our necks out on this one – if Sete Gibernau does indeed make his MotoGP comeback next year, and gets to ride a Ducati, he might do better than the Kentucky Kid on that GP9. (Gibernau may get a Ducati ride if Ducati decide to run a fifth bike. This is likely to be with a satellite team headed by Angel Nieto.)
On the other hand, with JIR Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso joining the factory Repsol Honda team in 2009 to ride alongside Dani Pedrosa, Honda will have two strong riders next year, both of whom would have the potential to do very well in the championship. Oh yes, the 2009 MotoGP season will be a cracker…
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