<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <div class='quotemain'>Hayden: New chassis was step too far.
MotoGP World Championship leader Nicky Hayden has admitted that the new chassis and swingarm brought to Donington Park last time out was just too big a step to make during a grand prix weekend.
Repsol Honda rider Hayden is the only person racing the latest 'evo' spec Honda RCV and, with the likes of team-mate Dani Pedrosa and Fortuna Honda's Marco Melandri winning multiple races on the 'standard' 2006 machine, has long been calling for much needed developments.
Unfortunately, the British Grand Prix was a case of 'be careful what you wish for' as HRC handed Hayden a new swingarm and chassis - but there simply wasn't time to set-up such fundamental changes and the Kentuckian eventually resorted to switching back to the original design, with the whole episode costing him valuable track time.
Hayden went on to qualify just eleventh and finished a season's worst seventh on race day, cutting his championship lead to 26 points over Pedrosa heading into this weekend's German Grand Prix.
"It went against us," confessed Nicky. "If it worked good then I'd have been pumped but as it turned out (the new parts) didn't help me. It's risky, but these guys aren't going any slower as the season goes on so I'm going to have to get faster and improve myself and the bike.
"We needed a few bits and pieces but it was just too big a change, trying a completely different swingarm/chassis set-up during a race weekend. It would have been nice to have a few days testing, but that's not the case.
"On the one hand I was glad to get something that we thought might help but the stuff wasn't tested enough," he confirmed. "It's good to see HRC working but it turned out it went against us that weekend. Our plan tomorrow (during Friday free practice) is just to stay with what we know - what we've been using all year - and see how the weekend starts off."
http://www.crash.net/news_view~t~Hayden--N...6~id~133655.htm
MotoGP World Championship leader Nicky Hayden has admitted that the new chassis and swingarm brought to Donington Park last time out was just too big a step to make during a grand prix weekend.
Repsol Honda rider Hayden is the only person racing the latest 'evo' spec Honda RCV and, with the likes of team-mate Dani Pedrosa and Fortuna Honda's Marco Melandri winning multiple races on the 'standard' 2006 machine, has long been calling for much needed developments.
Unfortunately, the British Grand Prix was a case of 'be careful what you wish for' as HRC handed Hayden a new swingarm and chassis - but there simply wasn't time to set-up such fundamental changes and the Kentuckian eventually resorted to switching back to the original design, with the whole episode costing him valuable track time.
Hayden went on to qualify just eleventh and finished a season's worst seventh on race day, cutting his championship lead to 26 points over Pedrosa heading into this weekend's German Grand Prix.
"It went against us," confessed Nicky. "If it worked good then I'd have been pumped but as it turned out (the new parts) didn't help me. It's risky, but these guys aren't going any slower as the season goes on so I'm going to have to get faster and improve myself and the bike.
"We needed a few bits and pieces but it was just too big a change, trying a completely different swingarm/chassis set-up during a race weekend. It would have been nice to have a few days testing, but that's not the case.
"On the one hand I was glad to get something that we thought might help but the stuff wasn't tested enough," he confirmed. "It's good to see HRC working but it turned out it went against us that weekend. Our plan tomorrow (during Friday free practice) is just to stay with what we know - what we've been using all year - and see how the weekend starts off."
http://www.crash.net/news_view~t~Hayden--N...6~id~133655.htm
