Gordon Ritchie | February 22, 2016
Nicky’s getting more comfortable with the CBR1000RR every day…
With his full-season debut shortly to come in the WorldSBK paddock, Honda World Superbike rider Nicky Hayden tested at his third different circuit on his CBR1000RR since he had his first rides at Motorland Aragon and Jerez last year.
And Phillip Island as he said, is not similar to either of those.
“It is very different here, being so much faster,” said the former MotoGP champion. “Especially here, where we have to get used to the bike moving, as it is really moving a lot in the faster corners. I think it is both bike and tire moving, the bike moving more and I need to understand the tires here. We have third, fourth and fifth gear corners, but in Jerez or Aragon there is none of that.”
Tires play more of a role in final raceday results at PI than most circuits, and Hayden is well aware of this. “PI is a special track on tires. The first exit they said that the temperature and pressure of the tires looked fine but the second exit it was spitting rain so I came back in slow. The grip is fine, it is just a bit of moving.”
No new parts of any significance came along to Phillip Island for Hayden to test, but for the first time he used all the best test items that he had selected at previous tests, all on one machine.
“We do not have anything really new,” he affirmed. “We have kinda what our best from Jerez was, because we never really had time to put all our best stuff all together.”
Hayden is ready to get his points scoring game on now, as he embarks on a new career challenge.
“I am getting more excited but we need to take advantage of these two days of testing, for sure,” said the American star. “I need some more time, to understand more things, with me, with the bike, with the team. I am excited, but trying to stay calm.”
Photography by Gold & Goose
