Sure, you can point to the fact that many talented riders have failed to ride the Ducati MotoGP machine at a competitive level, while Casey Stoner blitzes the track on the same bike. Marco Melandri is the latest victim, and his frustration led to the early termination of his Ducati contract. Nevertheless, I think Ducati will be a good fit for Nicky Hayden next year.
Although Hayden won a championship for Honda in 2006, Dani Pedrosa has been Honda’s “golden boy” ever since. It was virtually impossible for Honda to develop the same bike to work for both riders. Their riding styles couldn’t be more different. Pedrosa has the classic high corner speed of a rider trained on small displacement two-strokes, while Hayden honed his slide, point-and-shoot technique on American dirt tracks. Development tipped in favor of Pedrosa.
Although Hayden and Stoner have different styles as well, Stoner is also comfortable sliding the bike. Additionally, I feel Hayden will find Ducati happy to tailor a bike to his needs despite the fact his teammate is the more successful rider (of late).
