MotoGP: Hayden - fuel consumption problem sorted

Hayden...ran out of fuel at Assen

NICKY HAYDEN says he is convinced that the fuel-consumption problems that robbed him of his first podium of the year at Assen a couple of weeks ago have been sorted out by the Repsol Honda squad.

Hayden has been contesting the new pneumatic-valve motor for the last two rounds and says that the much needed increase in power and throttle response is a big improvement on last year’s engine.

The former MotoGP World Champion was robbed of his first 2008 podium when his bike ran out of fuel just yards from the finish line at Assen. But the Kentucky Kid is sure that won’t happen again.

He said: “The bike is working good, the engine is running plenty good, but we just had that little issue at the end of Assen which stopped me getting third. I´m sure the guys at HRC will have the electronics all fixed for this race because I quite like the Sachsenring and I´ve always gone pretty well there.´

The German round kicks off on Thursday for this weekend’s races and the new motor is going to be vital for Hayden to push up front once again.

“It´s a short little lap and some people complain it´s too tight and twisty, but I like fast left-hand corners and it´s got a lot of them. I´m a dirt tracker so I like going left! The first bit is quite technical, then you´ve got that fifth-gear drop-off round the back which is really good, definitely one of the best.

“The key for going down that hill is getting the bike so you´re confident in the front. The next right-hander (Turn 12) is a big one, it´s blind and it´s downhill, so you can´t go tip-toeing through there if you want a good lap, you've got to be committed and charge it.”

It’s worth noting that Hayden finished on the podium last year at the Sachsenring, too. We’ll have a fiver on him being somewhere up the front come Sunday.