Nicky Hayden rides new Honda RC213V-RS in wet conditions

2014-11-11 18:32
American completes first run on new machine as team-mate Eugene Laverty also gathers wet data

After perfect conditions on the opening day of MotoGP testing at Valencia yesterday, the last thing anybody expected to see today was a downpour but unfortunately that's what happened and day two of three took place in the wet. With today's session planned from 10am to 5pm there was plenty of track time available but constant and heavy rain from the start meant that nobody bothered to venture out until past midday. Once they did they were few in number, with just ten riders completing laps today as the showers continued to come and go throughout the afternoon.

Two of the riders on track were in DRIVE M7 Aspar Team colours, although neither ventured out of the garage until 1pm. Nicky Hayden began the day on his 2014 bike and he waited until the final hour of the session before trying out the new Honda RC213V-RS, the Japanese factory's new pneumatic-valved Open entry. The experienced American was surprised with the power of the new machine and he is hoping for improved weather tomorrow so that he can feel the full force of its potential in dry conditions. His new DRIVE M7 Aspar team-mate Eugene Laverty took the opportunity to get used to his new bike in the wet, the Irishman again expressing his surprise at the performance of the rear tyre but warning that there is a lot of work to be done on the electronics.

Nicky Hayden 1'43.598 (44 laps): “With the wet conditions today we weren't able to test everything we wanted. We have some new members within the technical staff so we took the chance to get to know each other today. We didn't ride in wet conditions all season so we did the first part of the session on the old bike. We made some adjustments that worked well and then at the end we had the chance to ride the new bike. Riding a new bike in the wet is not the best thing in the world but at least we were able to get a feel for it over a few laps. It has a lot of power so I hope we get chance tomorrow to try it out in normal conditions. It seems a bit stiffer, a little heavier, but the biggest difference compared to the old bike is definitely the power. If the weather is on our side tomorrow we can concentrate on setting the new bike up and getting a real feel for it. The chassis, the engine... there are a lot of new things to adapt my riding style to so hopefully we get chance tomorrow.”

Eugene Laverty 1'46.871 (26 laps): “The track was quite slippery and at the start I found it difficult to get a feeling because I couldn't keep the heat in the tyres and the bike was moving around a lot. Luckily after the first few laps I got to grips with the bike. The tyres allow for a lot more lean angle than I am used to in Superbikes. We still have a lot of work to do with the electronics to understand the bike more but at the moment my feeling on the rear in corner entry is really good. We also have to work on the power delivery and engine braking. A lot of riders talk about the front tyre but I haven't noticed anything in particular, for me the most surprising thing is the rear. Even though the bike is sliding you can keep pushing and making up ground, the tyre really lets you get the bike turned. Compared with bikes I have ridden in the past this is smaller, lower and handles better. To an extent the size of the fuel tank determines the size of the bike and with the Honda being so small you can really move around on it.”

Source: AsparTeam

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