Nicky Hayden finished ninth at Aragon, riding at a good level in his return race, whilst his colleague Hiroshi Aoyama got his best result of the year in eighth.
In addition to experience, one of the key strengths of DRIVE M7 Aspar rider Hayden is his response to adversity. His weekend’s work at Aragon was marked by constant progress, without discomfort in his wrist, as he returned to racing for the first time since Sachsenring in July.
The 2006 World Champion started the Aragon race with determination and played his cards well, changing bikes just in time on the 17th lap and pushing to the end to achieve ninth, his second best result of the year after his eighth achieved in Qatar.
Hayden commented, “With the changing conditions it was quite hard. Even early on the track we were sliding and, after 10 laps, the rain started getting stronger. This circuit is quite long, has many ups and downs and some blind corners, even on the straights the visibility was limited, it was difficult to find the braking markers. Still, we managed a fairly positive result, but we must also consider that many riders crashed.
“We lost some positions when it started to rain and with the change of bike. We managed to finish the race when, three months ago, I had to stop competing and I had to rebuild my wrist, so ninth position is great for us. I am happy to be back racing and competitive again. I hope to recover more, to race better in Motegi. I want to thank the team for all the work they have done for me.”
On the other side of the DRIVE M7 Aspar box, Aoyama also used his experience to survive in the hectic conditions. With the arrival of the rain, the Japanese rider went into the garage a lap after his teammate and also showed his best form on the wet asphalt. He finished in eighth, his best result of the season.
“We opted for the harder tire and at first we suffered, hoping to maintain a steady pace in the early laps but it proved difficult,” said Aoyama. “But we were able to cope and stay in the group, and as the laps went by I started to have more grip and gain positions. I had a good feeling and I fought with Hernandez and Redding. Then it started to rain and I had doubts about the best time to change bikes. I've tried to stay as long as possible on slicks.”
“After changing the bike, the sensation in the wet was also good and I was able to keep my position. I am very happy to have finished eighth in Spain, in a very important race for my team. The team worked perfectly all weekend and we have been competitive in each session. Now I go into the race in Japan at home with high expectations.”
