Nicky Hayden is targeting his best finish of the season to mark the first of two home Grands Prix in the United States. The Ducati rider has a best result of sixth so far in 2012 but with two victories to his name at Laguna Seca, the 'Kentucky Kid' is confident of bettering that.
“Of course I like Laguna, so I'm excited to go there and see my home crowd and all my friends in the AMA paddock. We've been getting a little closer to the front lately, but now is no time to rest. We have to keep working, because now the gains will be more difficult. Laguna is certainly not easy, and I doubt the lap times will be much different with the 1000s than they were with the 800s. I'm not even sure we'll use sixth gear, and as was the case at the Sachsenring, we'll probably spend a lot of time working with the wheelie control and just trying to use that power when it's available. The new tyres should work better at Laguna, especially in the colder mornings and on the right side. My goal is clear: go there, have fun, and try to get the best result of the season.”
Teammate Valentino Rossi is also a fan of the Laguna Seca circuit and is hopeful of challenging nearer the front after testing some updates following the Italian Grand Prix.
“Laguna is a difficult track, with many bumps and a lot of elevation change, but at the same time it's beautiful and fun, in part because it's rather old-style. I really like the fans and the general feel. Although my last test at Mugello was ended early, we were able to begin working with some details, and we'll probably be able to use some of them at Laguna, even if we're talking about a small percentage of the package that they're working on at Ducati. Last year we went okay at Laguna, so we'll see what happens this weekend.”
