Hayden Quickest Honda MotoGP Tester At Valencia

Hayden Quickest Honda MotoGP Tester At Valencia

© 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

Nicky Hayden fastest Honda rider at Valencia MotoGP test.

The 2004 grand prix season ended last Sunday at Valencia but such is the level of competition the MotoGP that the teams have no time to relax and reflect on past performances. Many of the leading teams stayed on at Valencia to begin their preparations for the upcoming series of vital winter test sessions.

On the opening day of the two-day test Honda riders opened their winter test programme testing new Michelin tyres and the latest chassis development. The fastest Honda rider at today’s test was American Nicky Hayden. The former AMA Superbike Champion put in an astonishing 94 laps at the demanding 4.005km Ricardo Tormo Circuit on the outskirts of the city of Valencia. Hayden set a best time of 1:33.4 on his five-cylinder 990cc RC211V Honda.

Sete Gibernau, runner up in the 2004 MotoGP championship, was just one tenth of a second off Hayden’s best time. The Spaniard concentrated his day on tyre testing with the RCV the results confirming Gibernau’s fears that he had selected the wrong tyres for Sunday’s GP.

Italian Max Biaggi, fresh from his third place finish in the world championship, was next fastest with a time of 1:34.00 flat. Biaggi dedicated his day to testing various chassis configurations and completed just 34 laps of the circuit today.

Nicky Hayden (1:33.4) – 94 laps. “We had a good day today and I put in 94 laps. I managed to go faster than I did all race weekend at 1:33.4 and that was on race tyres. I tested the new Michelin tyres and they helped with the difficulties I had holding my line in the race at the weekend. We have another day of testing here and I hope we can continue to improve.”

Sete Gibernau (1:33.5) – 55 laps. “We tested tyres today and confirmed that I had chosen the wrong tyres for the race last Sunday. Today and tomorrow we will concentrate on finding the right direction for next season and will be testing chassis developments getting ready for the next tests we have planned.”

Max Biaggi (1:34.00) – 34 laps. “Today I only did 34 laps as we tried out several chassis changes. I could have been faster but the main purpose was to find the right direction we need to make progress in time for the next tests. We will continue on this line tomorrow.”

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