Winging It: Roger Lee Hayden Takes A Flyer

The politics of racing is just as complex as those in Washington. When World Superbike rider Chris Vermeulen finally did his knee in for the season recently, Kawasaki chose aging test rider Akira Yanagawa as his replacement, angering some who felt the brand would be better served by having Roger Lee Hayden on the green bike. Vermeulen's situation marked the second time that Kawasaki had overlooked Hayden for a replacement ride on the "factory" WSBK team this year

Aside from being selected for the American Honda Indy Moto2 ride, Hayden didn't seem to be able to catch a break. Just about the time that was settling in as a trend, a big break came his way. An hour or so after Randy De Puniet crashed out of the Sachsenring MotoGP race, Hayden recieved a text message on his phone, wondering if he'd like to sub for Randy at Laguna. On the LCR Honda, a full-on satellite Honda MotoGP bike. Answer? Yes

Hayden hadn't yet seen the bike when Soup spoke with the American rider yesterday, as he was still driving up from Southern California and the team were de-crating and setting up at the track. He planned to stop by as soon as he reached the proximity of the dry lagoon and shake hands with the RC212

Hayden has ridden an 800 MotoGP bike previously, racing the Kawasaki in 2007 at Laguna Seca, and doing a quite respectable job of it. The race from sixth to tenth was quite close and Hayden just missed out on ninth place when he was passed by Alex Barros in the final corner. Need to know more about digital printing Melbourne?

But there are few things as useless as a two-year old GP bike. The electronics and the tires have changed drastically in the last two seasons, making this a bit of a 'thrown in the deep end' situation for the youngest Hayden

Or is it? After all, the guy he shared a bedroom with for years is riding the factory Ducati. Did Roger ask Nick for a crib notes version of 2010 MotoGP 101?

"He's been so busy I've only had a few moments to talk to him but he did tell me some things about the tires," Hayden said last night. "That helped a lot."

And ... that's it? There will be no further collaboration to get Roger up to speed?

"Let me just say this," Hayden said, "I am putting together a list of questions once we have a moment to sit down together."

ENDS

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