The '08 season hasn't gotten...
The '08 season hasn't gotten off to a great start for Hayden, and the frustration of last season hasn't worn off much either, making him more determined than ever to turn things around.
"It's helped a lot, but still, give them guys credit; they're still twisting the throttle and making it happen," Hayden says. "But sure, our bikes are tamer. They don't get out of line like they used to. I think it helps anybody, even a Superbike rider, adjust to these bikes easier than before, especially three or four years ago. They were a lot harder, as much into the corner as the exit. And as the race went on we didn't have a lot of buttons we could hit to make it easier. We just had to hold on tight."
The two areas where the Repsol Honda RC212V is most improved are the clutch and the tires. The clutch is smoother in the all-important corner entry with less hopping and chattering. And the tires are a world apart from 2007. "Overall we made a big step. We still need to improve our rain tire. I think that's our biggest priority now, especially in drying conditions. Full wet, we're not bad, but that half-and-half or no standing water is where we've got to improve."
Tech 3 Yamaha's Colin Edwards believes Michelin is 50 percent improved from last year. Hayden isn't going that high. "Overall, last year we could maybe find one tire for the race, [but] I wouldn't say it's 50 percent better. But from our best tire to our worst tire this year, it's not like last year. We go to tracks last year: 'That tire won't work, that tire won't work.' Well, we got one tire, so you just ride around maybe in the morning session and save your good tires. And now all the tires work in a lot broader temperature range. We have more options this year. And there's not a big difference; it's not like last year, where you'd get some that absolutely do not work."
Sparks will fly at the '08 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. The MotoGP field is the most competitive in years. The season began with four different winners from four different teams on two different tire brands before Rossi repeated in France-and this is before Hayden and Pedrosa get their new engine. John Hopkins, now with Monster Kawasaki, expects to have a new "screamer" engine by the late-July race. And Tech 3 Yamaha's Colin Edwards may be making his last MotoGP start at Laguna Seca, if he decides to move back to the AMA in 2009.
Still, having won the first two races here, Hayden is the acknowledged master. We asked him about the track and the race. His answers, in edited form, follow.
Favorite Corner
"I would say the Corkscrew's got to be my favorite, just because it's the Corkscrew. It's the only place in the world like it. You always hear other tracks talk about 'Oh, it's got something like the Corkscrew.' Laguna has the Corkscrew. There's only one real Corkscrew in the world, and it's so different and such a technical corner. And it's also important to lap times. It's a corner that sets that track out from any other place in the world, kind of like Daytona's banking. Rainey Curve, if your bike's working, down through Rainey Curve is pretty fun."
The Trick To Getting It Right
"It was definitely harder when it was a blind entrance; [it was] a lot more tricky. Now, I can't really say it's any safer now. I just don't think some of the Euro guys liked it because it was so technical and a little bit daunting. It's such a high part of the track. You're up there really high and it's a drop-off on the inside of you going into it, so it's kind of intimidating. I think as far as bike setup, it's important when you change directions to not have to wait for the bike to settle back down before you can completely commit to the second part of the Corkscrew, the right-hander, and can open the throttle. So something that doesn't get too loose in the transition, and something that don't try to jump over the hill, that wants to keep the suspension kind of loaded and the tires loaded and that you can open up and drive down that hill."
The Difference Between Riding An 800 And A 990 Around Laguna
"On the 990 the track felt a lot tighter, definitely. [Laguna] on a 990 was a lot of bike for that track. There was no place to even rest. There was really no straightaway, even that front straightaway-even on an 800--but a 990 more; you come out of that, it's such a first-gear hairpin. I mean it was first, second, third, fourth. By the time you got ready to think about just keeping the front wheel on the ground and got finished looking at your pit board, you're getting set up for going over the hill, which is probably as loose a corner or as gnarly a corner, gutsy, whatever you want to call it [as we ever see] on our calendar. Even that turn 5 to 6-that's not even a straightaway. You're leaned over most of the whole way around there. On a 990 it was spinning all the way down there. So there's no real [place to rest]."