Hayden content with improved Honda

From Repsol Honda

SEPANG, MALAYSIA -- The Repsol Honda Team was back on track at Sepang today for the second pre-season test at the 5.548km Malaysian grand prix circuit. American Nicky Hayden, MotoGP World Champion in 2006, is the sole factory team rider present at Sepang. His teammate, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa is at home in Barcelona working on his recovery from a hand injury sustained at Sepang last month.

Work today focused on chassis comparison testing while running with a variety of front and rear tires from Michelin. The Repsol Honda technicians tried slight geometry variations that improved the overall balance of the RCV and provided Hayden with better rear end grip, particularly on the edge of the rear tire. Hayden crashed at turn 15 near the end of the day, escaping unscathed from the incident.

His fastest time from the day was a 2:01.949 on his final lap.

Hayden and the team will continue chassis comparison testing tomorrow working from the data gathered today while running with the latest Michelin tire developments.