Nicky Hayden to start MotoGP farewell race from sixteenth position

2015-11-07 10:41
POWER ELECTRONICS rider will contest his last race in the premier class tomorrow, and hopes to end his 13-year stay with a positive result

Today saw the starting grid for the final race of the season decided in Valencia. Pole position went to Jorge Lorenzo, one of the World Championship contenders in the Spanish showdown, with Marc Márquez and Dani Pedrosa accompanying him on the front row. The other title contender, Valentino Rossi, will start the race from the back of the grid as a result of a penalty. Andrea Iannone and Márquez set the fastest times in the last two practice sessions for the Valencian round, but in qualifying Lorenzo set what he described as the best lap of his life: A 1:30.011. Nobody could better the Yamaha rider's time, and he will start from pole for what should be a spectacular race.

The race will also be an emotional one for Nicky Hayden. The POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider today took part in his final qualifying session as a MotoGP rider. On a day that was more positive than recent Saturdays, the American was able to consistently set times in the 1:32 range -although he was still left without a perfect lap that would have taken him further up the order. Despite believing that he still needs to find a little more grip with the rear, The Kentucky Kid is convinced that he will be able to enjoy his MotoGP swansong with a good result. Teammate Eugene Laverty had a difficult start to qualifying, crashing at Turn 4 and having his plans thrown out of the window as a result. He will start from 23rd tomorrow, after setting a best time of 1:33.066.





16º Nicky Hayden 1.32.083: “I think it's the best qualifying session we've had in the last few races. We were finally able to take a step forward in qualifying that we hadn't been able to do in the last few races. I did a 1:32.0 on my first tyre and the next lap I had to avoid Viñales' bike. Thankfully he's ok after a big crash. I went out with my next tyre and was able to improve on a section, riding in the low 1'32's, but wasn't able to get into the 1'31's. Two tenths would have made a nice difference and moved me up a row or two. We're still trying to find some grip; the bike is spinning too much in the long corners and we can't get the drive. We're going to need some good work from the team tonight.Tomorrow I've got my last ride in MotoGP, so let's try to enjoy it.”





23º Eugene Laverty 1.33.066: “I crashed on my first qualifying lap and that really set the tone for the session in a way. Every time I went for a flying lap, the right side of the tyre was cold and spinning. The crash just destroyed the session for us, as I had to get the scooter back to the pits and there wasn't much time. Yesterday was bad, this morning we made a lot of progress and then qualifying was a disaster with the crash. The track is tough for us and we've had a difficult weekend so far; the rear grip wasn't good yesterday, and you can see marks on the track from where we've been slipping and sliding into the corners. It's been tough. I would have liked a much better weekend so far, but we'll do what we can tomorrow because we've still got this race to contest before the season comes to an end.”

Source: AsparTeam

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