Extra testing for Hayden ahead of MotoGP race

TOKYO – MotoGP frontrunner Nicky Hayden has said he is anticipating a “huge race” in Portugal after completing two days of extra testing to fend off a charging Valentino Rossi.

The 25-year-old Honda rider saw his lead cut to 12 points over the Italian with two races remaining when he finished fifth in the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi on Sunday. Three other contenders are also in the hunt for the title.Hayden thanked his team for the extra work ahead of the Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril on October 15 as he aims to thwart Rossi’s late bid for a sixth consecutive title.Hayden completed two days of testing there on Tuesday to sort out clutch problems that have kept him off the MotoGP podium for the last four races.Veteran Loris Capirossi on a Ducati led an Italian podium sweep at Motegi with Yamaha’s Rossi finishing second and Marco Melandri third on a Honda.The Italian trio and Hayden’s Spanish teammate Dani Pedrosa are all within 34 points of the leader’s 236, with all five riders mathematically capable of lifting the title, as each GP victory is worth 25 points.Hayden, the 2002 US Superbike champion, has finished in the points in all races and stood on the podium nine times so far this season with two wins.On Monday he turned in 54 laps on race tyres, testing clutch parts and chassis adjustments to his 990-cc RC211V.He did 54 more on Tuesday.His unofficial lap time improved from 1min 47.76sec to 1:47.18, faster than the course’s fastest real-race lap of 1:47.29 set by Rossi on Sunday.But American Colin Edwards, Rossi’s teammate at Camel Yamaha, was even faster timing 1:46.68 on Monday.Rossi took it easy at 1:48.58 and his team left Japan on Tuesday.Rossi, who switched to Yamaha from Honda in 2004, said earlier his bike had been improving after four straight podium finishes including a win in Malaysia.The Valencia GP in Spain on October 29 will close the 17-race season which has developed into a nail-biter in recent weeks.Despite winning five MotoGPs, more than any other rider, Rossi’s campaign has been hit by a series of crashes as well as tyre and engine troubles before he started finding consistency.It is the first season that he has failed to take the championship lead by the halfway point.Pedrosa tested Honda’s newly unveiled V4 prototype suited to the 2007 regulations which reduce the engine capacity to 800cc from 990cc for safety reasons.Nampa-AFPThree other contenders are also in the hunt for the title.Hayden thanked his team for the extra work ahead of the Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril on October 15 as he aims to thwart Rossi’s late bid for a sixth consecutive title.Hayden completed two days of testing there on Tuesday to sort out clutch problems that have kept him off the MotoGP podium for the last four races.Veteran Loris Capirossi on a Ducati led an Italian podium sweep at Motegi with Yamaha’s Rossi finishing second and Marco Melandri third on a Honda.The Italian trio and Hayden’s Spanish teammate Dani Pedrosa are all within 34 points of the leader’s 236, with all five riders mathematically capable of lifting the title, as each GP victory is worth 25 points.Hayden, the 2002 US Superbike champion, has finished in the points in all races and stood on the podium nine times so far this season with two wins.On Monday he turned in 54 laps on race tyres, testing clutch parts and chassis adjustments to his 990-cc RC211V.He did 54 more on Tuesday.His unofficial lap time improved from 1min 47.76sec to 1:47.18, faster than the course’s fastest real-race lap of 1:47.29 set by Rossi on Sunday.But American Colin Edwards, Rossi’s teammate at Camel Yamaha, was even faster timing 1:46.68 on Monday.Rossi took it easy at 1:48.58 and his team left Japan on Tuesday.Rossi, who switched to Yamaha from Honda in 2004, said earlier his bike had been improving after four straight podium finishes including a win in Malaysia.The Valencia GP in Spain on October 29 will close the 17-race season which has developed into a nail-biter in recent weeks.Despite winning five MotoGPs, more than any other rider, Rossi’s campaign has been hit by a series of crashes as well as tyre and engine troubles before he started finding consistency.It is the first season that he has failed to take the championship lead by the halfway point.Pedrosa tested Honda’s newly unveiled V4 prototype suited to the 2007 regulations which reduce the engine capacity to 800cc from 990cc for safety reasons.Nampa-AFP