NICKY HAYDEN has an uncertain future at Ducati as they have reportedly placed a two-year contract in front of Cal Crutchlow for 2013.
Commenting on talks that the Briton aggressive riding style is similar to Casey Stoner, the only man able to get anything competitive out of the Desmosedici GP, Hayden said: “Of course Cal has got the right attitude and he is not going to give up real easy, but today he was fighting that Yamaha a lot to be racing with me. Obviously, he got a bad start, but he’s not going to have to fight that Ducati any less.
“I know people say he rides a lot like Stoner, but from where I’m sitting I don’t see him riding a lot like Stoner. From where I watched there is a little difference there. I don’t want to sound like a hater just because they are offering him my bike, but we’ll see. Cal beat me and he is a good rider, obviously, but to say he rides like Stoner, I’m not sure.
“People think you got to be aggressive on the Ducati, but when you saw Stoner go fast on it, he let the bike move. The bike moved a lot, but he didn’t. He was smooth and he never fought the bike. He let the bike move under him.
"With Cal the bike moves, but also he moves a lot. Of course it is interesting and he has got a lot of potential. He’s got the right attitude and he won’t give up after the first couple of crashes, so it would be interesting to see.”
Hayden believed that Crutchlow has his own hard-riding style, unlike anybody else. He was unsure who would have the right style for the Desmosedici as the bike needs its rider to be aggressive to build heat in the tyres.
If the 2006 MotoGP champion is pushed out at Ducati, there were whispers at the Aragon WSB that he could be drafted across to ride the new 1199 Panigale in 2013. Watch this space...
