Buzzin MotoGP

Nicky Hayden

Nicky Hayden confirmed that he will be leaving the Repsol Honda team at the end of the season in a press conference ahead of the Indianapolis Grand Prix yesterday.

Although there is no actual confirmation, about his rumoured move to the Ducati team alongside Casey Stoner for 2009, he did admit that the relationship between himself and the Honda team had become strained over the past few weeks and added,

“It’s no secret – everyone knows where my next stop is going to be, I’m looking forward to it.  It’s going to be a big change for me, but there are five races to go this season and I’ve had a long history at Honda and sure things here have turned ugly lately, just with everything going on, but we’ve had good races together and won championships together.

In AMA and the World Championship; that was the good one, but it’s time to move on and try something different.”

In 2007 it was rumoured that Hayden would make the switch to the Ducati team but he decided to remain with the Honda team at the last minute.

Boiling point seemed to have been reached with the recent announcement that his team-mate, Dani Pedrosa, would be changing to Bridgestone tyres for the rest of the season and Hayden knew nothing about it.

Hayden said,

“That’s quite a touchy subject.  I was quite shocked … I wasn’t asked.  I just heard it on the street.  Just before the start of the race in Misano I was told and I couldn’t believe it, like everyone else.

I’m not really sure what there is to say.  It’s one less rider on Michelin which I think hurts.  It’s close to it being a spec-tyre now.  There are only five guys left not on Bridgestones.”

Hayden intends to give it all for the Honda team for the rest of the season and said,

“I do not have intention not to do the rest of the season, that seems crazy.  That’s what people thought after Misano but I owe it to Honda to go out and do it.

The guys in my team know I’m not going to lay down until the very end after Valencia so no, I fully plan on doing the whole season…unless they lock the door on me I’m going in there and getting on the bike.  It could happen, but there are probably people in that box that If I didn’t show up probably would never notice… but I plan on going on.”