Showing good initial signs in the short post-season Valencia, Hayden delivered some decent lap times, on both wet and dry, on his new bike. But Mamola thinks it will not be that easy for him to get accustomed to the new bike.
Stating in his regular Aplinestars column, Mamola wrote, “A lot of people said his riding style would suit the Ducati because he likes a bike to be loose underneath him. It seems people thought he could jump on the bike and go fast but personally I think he is going to have to change a few things. In fact, Nicky’s first comment when he got off the bike was: ‘Whatever they pay Casey (Stoner), it’s not enough.’ He knows it’s not easy and he has a lot of work to do.”
Having had personal experience with Ducati, Mamola is the man who takes VIP guests around Grand Prix circuits, across the globe, on the Ducati MotoGP2, which laps just seconds behind that of a regular 800cc MotoGP race prototype.
Commenting on bike, Mamola said, “Basically the Desmosedici works by getting it to full throttle as soon as possible and letting the electronics do the rest. That’s easier said than done and so far only Casey has been able to do it consistently. The final turn at Valencia was the clearest example. Over the course of the weekend everybody had enjoyed seeing Nicky light the Honda up around that long left-hander but you only had to see him through there on the Monday to see that the Ducati doesn’t allow him to do it, because it has a much more narrow power band.”
Having been a former World Championship rider, Mamolo has finished runner-up in the 500cc category four times. He believes that with Ducati getting in four new riders, teamwork will be essential, especially if they hope to repeat their success with 2007 champion Stoner.
He further emphasized on the rich experience that returning hero Sete Gibernau would be able to prove. Mamolo added, “Ducati do have a responsibility to make all their bikes easier to ride otherwise they’ll have four riders struggling next season instead of three. Niccolo Canepa is new to almost every circuit and Mika Kallio is also a MotoGP rookie, so I think Sete Gibernau’s feedback in particular will be crucial in getting the bike to fit different styles.” Mamolo is positive about Hayden’s chances though, concluding with, “The good thing for Nicky is that he seems to be getting on very well with his new team-mate. Casey and Nicky are both good guys with similar backgrounds and, crucially, they speak the same language. Literally and in their approach to racing.”