Born To Ride News

Exclusive Nicky Hayden Interview

Steve Atlas

Executive Editor MotorcycleUSA.com 

Monday, January 04, 2010

MotoUSA catches up with 2006 American MotoGP Champion Nicky Hayden to get his take on the upcoming season.

Being a MotoGP racer isn’t all champagne, girls and glory. For every winner there are ten losers, and for every ten losers there are thousands that never even made it. Plus the sheer pressure of factories investing loads time and money into one person can be too much for some to handle. American Nicky Hayden knows what it’s like to be on top; a MotoGP crown from 2006 can attest to that. But he also knows what it’s like to struggle. And 2009 was an especially hard year for the Kentucky Kid.

After seven years on the factory Honda squad he was dropped in favor of young Italian Andrea Dovizioso. Hayden eventually found a new home with Italian marque Ducati alongside fellow world champion Casey Stoner, though on a bike which most believed only the superhuman Stoner was capable of riding. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Hayden went in guns blazing only to have some seriously bad luck and teething problems keep him at the back of the pack for the first half of the season. But a late-year push saw the hard-working Owensboro native on the podium at the Indianapolis GP, a finish that surely saved his job for 2010.

We caught up with Hayden to get his thoughts on life as a now second-year Ducati GP rider and what he thinks the future has in store…

Hayden had a rough start to the season, riddled with crashes and bike issues.

MCUSA: In your eyes how was 2009?

HAYDEN: Ya know, truthfully, I had higher expectations. It was a rough year. We struggled and it wasn’t what I was expecting. Especially the beginning was tough. The communication was an issue and we started with some bad luck, all the crashes and such, some really bad luck, and everything just went downhill. But the team did a really good job to stick by me through it all and after we made some changes and really worked at it, things got a lot better. It was a rough one though.

 MCUSA: Was there a turning point in the season for you?

HAYDEN: At the third round when I got a new crew chief. Bringing him in allowed us to overcome some communication issues. The biggest thing with the previous one was understanding his English and him understanding what I was, saying and being able to talk about the bike and what it’s doing, ya know. They moved him in to an advisor role for the whole team and it worked out well. He’s a smart chap but it wasn’t the best fit with the two of us. Once we changed things is when it started to turn around.

MCUSA: Would you say this was the toughest season of your career?

HAYDEN: Man, yeah. It’d probably have to be the toughest. I mean, I’ve had some hard years where things were rough along the way but this is right up there. With all the injuries and getting taken out so many times and the struggles with the bike and the team. Yeah…it was probably the hardest.

MCUSA: Your brother Tommy has always been a mentor of sorts to you. Was having him around extra helpful in a tough year like this?

HAYDEN: Yeah. Of course. Tommy basically taught me how to race from the beginning and he has been a big part of my career my entire life. This year he came to Qatar and Valencia as well as the tests. It’s good to have him around. I talk to him almost every weekend. It’s good because I need someone who will tell me how I’m doing straight up. I’ve got plenty of people that will say good things but you need someone to shoot you straight and that’s what brothers are for. Tommy is there to always tell me how it is.

MCUSA: How much did injuries affect your season?

HAYDEN: For sure to start in Qatar, after having spent the whole previous night in the hospital, was hard. My body had taken a beating. I definitely needed (pain) injections to get through that one. Japan too, after Takahashi took me out and I hit my head, to go straight to Jerez the next week probably didn’t do anything for me. I didn’t really learn anything from riding there and that weekend was a struggle. I probably should have sat that one out.

MCUSA: It seemed like if you had any luck at all this season it was bad luck, especially in Misano where De Angelis took you and several others out?

HAYDEN: Man, yeah. Misano was a rough one. We had gone to the other Italian track, Mugello, and stunk up the place, but at Misano, there in Italy on an Italian bike, we were doing really well. I qualified higher up the order and we were on pace all weekend, maybe even looking at an outside shot at the podium because Pedrosa wasn’t on fire there, and then to have that happen, well… It was tough not to lay into De Angelis. I have a buddy’s dad that says ‘if you’re going to cock it, better throw it’ and I had it cocked there in the gravel trap and it was everything I had not to punch the kid. I wasn’t surprised it was him, though. He’s not the smartest guy. If you met him you would understand, trust me.

MCUSA: We would venture to guess Indy was the high point of the season for you?

HAYDEN: Definitely Indy. To come back home and put it on the podium and to basically save my job not a few hours from my hometown was pretty special, I’m not gonna lie. Pedrosa and Rossi may have fell but I felt like we worked really hard that weekend and we were in front of a lot of really talented guys for that podium spot and it basically saved my job.

MCUSA: Any insight into the whole Casey Stoner sickness ordeal this year? Did it affect you at all?

HAYDEN: That was a strange one. It was hard on the team for sure. And a little shady. No one really knew exactly was what going on. I’m not sure he even did. Bottom line was he wasn’t healthy and couldn’t do his job, but to leave like that for three races was odd. Turns out it was the right thing to do, though. He came back and was on pace and winning races right away, looking healthy, so it worked.

MCUSA: How has the off-season been going?

HAYDEN: Good. The end of the year test at Valencia went well. We were top-five, which for a world champion isn’t something to brag about, but we’ve made good progress and it was encouraging. We tested a few bits there that seem to have improved things and now they are back getting more ready. We have a pretty long break, more than usual with the testing rules, so I’ve just been training and spending some time at home. I was in Europe and India for some sponsor stuff with Ducati which was fun but now I’m home for the holidays and that’s nice. We did some wind tunnel testing in Italy to try and get more speed down the straights. I’m bigger than Casey (Stoner), but the mph difference has just been too big so we are working on that. Now I’m getting ready for a little New Year’s bash with some buddies. Should be a good one.

MCUSA: What are your thoughts on the far more limited testing schedule this year?

HAYDEN: I’m a guy that gets a lot out of testing. I like to put the hours in to get everything I can from myself and the bike, so would I prefer more? Yeah. But the economy is rough and it’s understandable. It’s not like it was before with blank checks and loads of tests. People have budgets and the big buck sponsors are hard to come by. The teams don’t have the deep pockets they used to so it’s understandable.

MCUSA: Speaking of new rules, what do you think of 1000cc MotoGP bikes for 2012?

HAYDEN: I like it! We need to be back on 1000s. We need to have big horsepower and bikes that slide. That’s what MotoGP should be. I’ve always felt they should have stayed with 990s, but then again I’m kinda biased (laughs). First for me, though, is to make sure that I’m here in 2012 on a factory team so I can take advantage of those rules. That’s a long way away in the racing world, so I’m just focused and head down to make sure I’m around when that comes.

MCUSA: Looking at next season, what’s it going to take to run with those top four dominating guys (Rossi, Lorenzo, Stoner, Pedrosa)?

HAYDEN: Those guys right now are straight up better than the rest. For me it’s several things, not just one. I need to work on some stuff and the team has been making some changes with the bike. It’s a multitude of different things. Hopefully with it being the second year and knowing the electronics and the package we will use at each track, having a year under our belts, should make things a lot easier. Hopefully we can get a good base setup, which we never had this year, to give us the confidence week in and week out to be there. We’ve always had a hard time early in the weekend. Usually by the end of the race we are on pace but it takes all three days. We really need to work on coming out of the box faster with a good setup so we aren’t playing catch up anymore.

MCUSA: Stoner made a strange comment about his warm-up lap crash at Valencia, saying that it was something bike related which could have happened all year but finally bit him. Is there something different you have to do with the Ducati before the race?

HAYDEN: Kinda. On the parade lap we have a fuel conservation mode that keeps us from going too fast and turns off a lot of the deceleration electronics. It means that we save a couple cc of fuel, but every little bit helps with these engines. But it also means we don’t get a lot of heat in the tires that lap, so for the warm-up lap you really have to be careful. Stoner just got on it too hard too early that lap and didn’t get the tires up to temp.

MCUSA: A photo of the 2010 Ducati MotoGP bike that you snapped on your phone and put on your website has been making the rounds and causing some turmoil. Did you get in trouble for posting that?

HAYDEN: (Laughs) Yeah. Yeah I did. I was just excited when I was over there doing some sponsor stuff and I figured everybody had basically seen the bike at the Valencia test already so I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I made a mistake and shouldn’t have put it up, but heck, it didn’t have any of the logos and everyone has seen it already. But, yeah, I got it a bit of trouble and I’m sorry about that one. Not too bad though. Ain’t like I’m putting engine blueprints online or something, ya know.

MCUSA: Going into your eighth season in MotoGP, do you still get fired up about Grand Prix racing the way you did your rookie year?

HAYDEN: Ya know what, I really do. Sometimes I wonder if I just tell myself that, but honestly I do. I was on a bike ride training the other day out in the cold and was thinking to myself ‘do I really still get as excited or am I just saying that to myself.’ Truth is I’m every bit as excited for this year as I was for my first year. I still have that same fire.

MCUSA: What are your goals are for 2010?

HAYDEN: I’m not under some delusion that we’re going to go out there and just start winning races every weekend. It’s one seriously stacked field this year, but I need to be up in the top four and getting on the podium consistently. Anything less than that and I’ll be disappointed. We made good progress at the last test in Valencia and I think now in our second year as a team and second year on the bike, if we can find a good base setup, we can be up there. We need to be.

MCUSA: Thanks Nicky, anything else you want to add?

HAYDEN: I really want to say that I’m proud of my team, too, and thankful that they really stuck by me through all the hard times. It was hard but all things considered I really think we went from being nowhere to a contender and now we need to go one step further. Also, all the American fans out there, you guys have always stuck by and it’s been awesome to have you in my corner. I really am thankful for that.

For more Nicky Hayden be sure to check out: www.NickyHayden.com

Retrieved January 5, 2010: from http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/454/5402/Motorcycle-Article/Exclusive-Nicky-Hayden-Interview.aspx

This months movie:
Chopper Chicks in Zombietown

Out of all the ‘biker exploitation’ movies I have reviewed, this one may be the funniest! The 1991 film features Billy Bob Thornton, MTV VeeJay Martha Quinn, and a few other B movie celebs. This movie has it all – hot chicks, lesbians, motorcycles, midgets and a troop of blind orphans – who wouldn’t love it? First off I must tell you the Chopper Chicks don’t actually ride “Choppers” but they do ride Sportsters, all equipped with engine guards and various custom paint jobs. The girls in the film are members of an all female motorcycle gang called the “Cycle Sluts” which in itself is funny. They do have the usual trappings of women traveling in groups, such as being on the rag, and searching for meat.

Anyway, the film begins when the Cycle Sluts cruise into the small town of Zariah looking for a good time. In Zariah, an evil scientist turned mortician has been killing local townspeople with the help of dwarf that he continually abuses. After turning the folks into zombies, he uses them as labor at an abandoned mine. The mine is too radioactive after underground nuclear testing to be mined by living people. He later admits the real reason he’s doing it isn’t for the money, it’s because he’s just plain mean. The zombies are released when a curious little boy opens a door in the apparently abandoned mine, thus releasing the un-dead, and of course this act is his un-doing. In the mean time, the girls are in town, and decide to split up and go look for some meat. One of them is run over by the mortician, and is turned into a zombie, while the others find their way into various sexual situations with the local guys. This is where we first meet Billy Bob who plays the ex of one of the chopper chicks. They meet in a church where the dwarf is attempting to shoot her, and retreat to his trailer for some fun. Another mistake for the midget, and more punishment later, the zombies are still marching on, and they are getting hungry!

On the way to town the zombies encounter a group of blind orphans, who are stranded just on the outskirts after their bus breaks down. Luckily for the kids their bus-driver always keeps an Uzi on the bus (for sentimental reasons) and while the driver seeks help the kids (shooting blindly) manage to hold off the zombies until the chopper chicks arrive to rescue them in a hearse. Even though the girls are doing some good deeds, the locals don’t seem to like them too much and repeatedly attempt to run them out of town. That is until the town is overrun by blood thirsty zombies! But wait – the town folk refuse to help the girls fight the zombies because “they are all family.’’ Hordes of zombies begin eating their relatives as the girls fight them off. The dwarf decides to turn against the mortician, and tells the girls that the only way to kill the zombies is to “cut their heads off.” The chopper chicks use baseball bats, chainsaws, and other devices to do away with many of them, but just when they think they have won, dozens more arrive. The girls devise a plan to lure all the remaining zombies into the church using raw meat as bait. They load the meat truck with dynamite, and crash it into the church. The timer on the dynamite goes off and the church goes up in flames burning up most of the remaining zombies.

In the final scenes the Cycle Sluts are rewarded with a sack full of cash and induct the dwarf and several of the blind orphans as honorary members of their gang. They then ride out of town with some of the men folk (their new ‘bitches’) on the back of their bikes and toss wads of money into the wind as they roll down the road to a new destination and adventure.

This review could not possibly expose you to all the hilarious action that this film provides. It is sometimes so ridiculous that you would find yourself rolled up in a knot from uncontrollable laughter. It takes shots at old films, TV and life in general, but it never leaves you bored. I admit that I have a sick sense of humor, but for some unknown reason, I actually liked this film! (I usually don’t) Try this one out. It’s available on DVD from Troma Films, www.troma.com or at your local ‘strange DVD dealership.’ I have to give this one 4 out of 4 stars just because it’s super-funny. … Till next month. …

Phantom

So here I am again sitting on the redwood deck in the trailer park, with a pen and an old grocery sack in hand, wondering which humorous episode of my life I will expose to my readers this month. But then, all of a sudden, I draw a blank. I can’t think about anything humorous and some of my recent escapades wouldn’t make it to print anyway. The magazine I write for seems to have an aversion to things that are in the ‘gray’ area concerning human (and animal) sexuality, or the exposure of certain body parts, or possibly some unpleasant excretions or other unsavory behavior, so I kinda hit a wall here. “Oh crap! I’ve got writers block!” I holler out as I get up to find a beer. The ol lady, always there with some smartass remark for me, hears my fraught comment and says “Naw, you ain’t got writers block, you’re just suffering from the writers recession.” “Writers recession – what the heck is that? I ain’t never heard of such crap!”  “Well you know Craven, everybody’s talkin about it – you know the recession?? That’s why I said it. It must be affecting you too, you know, writers recession!” “I don’t think so witch! I ain’t suffering form nuthin’ so just stay out of it!” She flashes me an evil look as I head back out the door, forgetting that she hates me calling her witch, and return to my milk crate on the deck. I took a swallow of beer and thought about getting on the bike and heading back down to the gentlemen’s club, but a quick check of my wallet indicated that I wasn’t going much of anywhere. $#/T, no dough I thought to myself.  That reminded me of my current plight. Hell, it’s the first of the year, I’m un-employed, there’s nothing around here I can sell to anybody, and I really don’t wanna pull a felony charge for tryin to rob the liquor store, so what do I do? I remembered that we had a really great time having all the family and friends over for Christmas, and I recall that I was running low on money, but I never realized that all that really cool partying would leave me on the porch without a dime to throw at a cockroach.

My thoughts became worse and worse, I haven’t got credit at the bar, so when I run out of beer, I’m gonna have to listen to all the bad things the ol lady says about me sober! Lucky for me, a lot of people gave me some 12 packs for Christmas, and they may last till the 30th or so – maybe. I could go raid the sugar bowl where the ol lady keeps the spare change, but no, I forgot – I already raided that thing to get some gas money. No where to go and no way to get there. Crap – she was right again! I’m in the middle of a writer’s recession. Now… How do I get outta here? I got it! I’ll apply for Social Security, and live for free! Yeah, that’s a great idea, but ummmm crap, I ain’t 60 years old. Oh I got it! I’ll get welfare, and live for free! Yeah, that’s the ticket! It should be easy, but awwww crap, I gotta problem with lines. Oh yeah! I got an idea! I’ll shoot myself and collect my life insurance – oh wait – that ain’t gonna work either! Oh yeah! I’ll shoot the ol lady and collect her life insurance, and then – well never mind – she ain’t got no insurance and see felony charge (above). Getting a job – out of the question!

Dammit boy! You know I hate to admit it when she’s right, but this time I concede defeat. I got the damn writers recession.

With no apparent way out I once again at great risk of bodily harm, return back to the inside of the trailer where the ol lady is lounging, and try to find out what the hell I can do to get outta this mess. I know that even though she hates me on the outside, somewhere deep down in her evil, conniving, unforgiving soul, she still loves me or one of my body parts. So I go back inside where she’s propped up on the couch watching TV and I ask “Hey baby, so would you have a moment in your busy schedule to tell me more about this recession thing?” “No a$$#ole, I ain’t telling you nuthin!” “Oh come on honey, you know I love it when you use that computer to give me useless information about stuff that I don’t really wanna know about! You are so smart, and cute too!”  “Get outta here Craven! Can’t you see that I’m watchin Desperate Housewives?” I thought about shooting the screen outta the TV, but then I remembered that NASCAR will be back on next month. “OK honey, well, if you change your mind, and decide that you want to help me, I’ll just be out on my porch like a good little redneck.” I walked out and slammed the door. Good little redneck my ass! I got a plan to get even with her, I thought, but just at the moment I was putting together the perfect revenge, she opens the door and throws some papers out and says “Here read this!” I look at the stack of papers and after 30 minutes of reading, I realized that I wasn’t the only one in a recession, and what’s worse, there’s this health care thing that has everybody in an uproar. “I can’t believe it!” I hollered out, just about the time she came back outside. “Yeah Craven, you’re a genius now aren’t you?” “Well no, but I can’t believe that if I don’t pay the government for healthcare of some sort that they’ll put me in jail!” “Well that’s the plan.” She replies. I thought for a moment and then the reality sank in. “There’s no way out!” I scream, but she just slams the door and goes back inside.

I don’t think she heard me, but the thought came to mind that some things are wrong, a virtual plethora of things that seemingly have no resolution. However on the other hand, since I can’t afford to buy any kind of healthcare insurance, I will get locked up. But while in jail, I get free healthcare! Now that’s a plan!! Whoops wait a minute. … How long can they keep me in there for such a ridiculous crime? Not too long I suppose, but on the upside, I can walk out of jail all healthy and necessary repairs completed until they stuff me back in there again. But wait! There’s more! I wasn’t planning on needing healthcare anyhow, so why should the government make me pay for it? I always thought that if you had a job, your employer would simply provide that coverage by removing the costs from the paycheck. Oh crap! Once again I messed up by being unemployed and there ain’t no way in hell that anyone would hire me to do anything. Back to square one. I suppose that the bottom line here is that the economy is not really improving, and unemployment and foreclosures are at an all time high, and before you know it, you – like me – won’t be able to pay your way out of the pokey, much less get a lap dance on credit. So what do we do? I got it! We all just put on our fish costumes and cover ourselves with Vaseline and try to slide by the authorities that have set up a roadblock on the way out of town!

Wait a minute! I reach for the phone and dial 1-800-666-SATAN. “Hello, Beelzebub? Yo dude, can you open up the gates of Hell, cause there’s a few million folks heading down that way right now!” Until next month, speed safely!

The Gulf Coast Chapter of the Divas Angels has announced their new Board of Directors for 2010 as voted at their last meeting:

Director – Kat Reyes

Assistant Director – Debbie Stanley

Treasurer – Donna Ryder

Secretary – Loretta Wronowski

Membership – Marsha Wolak

Media/Marketing – Donna DeFant

Activities – Pamela Fencil

Asst. Activities Directors: Tonya Jones & Beverly Wilgosz

Fundraising – Tanya Tedford

Clothing/accessories – Diana Brabeck

Safety Director – Laura Tracy-Clekis

Poker Run Committee Chairwoman: Debbie Stanley

Head Road Captain: Donna Ryder

Road Captains: Kat Reyes, Tonya Jones & Laura Tracy-Clekis

And their 2010 meeting schedule: Jan. 19^th, Feb. 16^th, Mar 16^th , Apr 20^th  , May 18^th, June 15^th, July 20^th  , Aug 17^th , Sept. 21^st , Oct 19^th & Nov.16^th.

Also at the last meeting of 2009 they presented Southeastern Guide Dogs with a check for $5,402. This money was raised during their 2009 – 5th Annual Poker Run and was enough money to go toward the breeding, raising and naming a female guide dog puppy. The Divas chose the name “DIVA” for the puppy they have sponsored. They will also have a brick placed in the sidewalk at the charity located in Palmetto, FL. with the name “Gulfcoast Diva Angels” etched in it.

The Gulf Coast Chapter of the Diva Angels will hold their next monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 19, 2010. Social hour at 6:00 pm and meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Fast N Fresh , 8105 Cooper Creek Blvd., University Park, FL. 34201 in The Shoppes at University Center on the east side of the mall. 941-462-2650.

Diva Angels, Inc. is a non-profit organization of female motorcycle enthusiasts that enjoy

riding together, camaraderie, doing good in the community and building strong friendships all along the way. All makes and models of bikes along with all shapes, sizes and ages of women are welcome!

Since January 2005 the Diva Angels has grown as a National Women’s Biker Organization with five active chapters already. There may a Diva Angels club in your backyard. To find out log on the national website:  www.divaangels.org  and see all the chapters there are or how to start one in your area.

Diva Angels members and guests are always welcome to come to all meetings and all events. If you are interested in being a Diva Angel and want more information, just show up at the meeting (meetings are always the third Tuesday of the month at Fast ‘N Fresh in University Park) or go onto the website at http://www.divaangels.org/ or call Kat Reyes, the Director of The Diva Angels – Gulfcoast Chapter at 941-504-1147 or Donna DeFant, The National President of Diva Angels, Inc. at   941-720-5955.