Marlboro Ducati's Nicky Hayden says he hung it all out to be be at the top of today's Indianapolis MotoGP qualifying timesheets despite the soaking conditions and varying grip.
The former MotoGP World Champion secured his provisional second place with a last-ditch lap in soaking conditions and reckons it feels good to be at the head of the pack again.
“It feels good to be near the top again! The bike felt pretty good from the beginning and after trying something new on the other bike, which didn’t work, we went back to the standard setting and went from there," said Hayden.
"The track was really tricky because there were sections with a lot of standing water and others where the grip was amazing - you had to be really on your toes. Midway through the session a funny line formed – I’m not sure if some kind of chemical came up through the asphalt from when they cleaned it but it was pretty slick.
"Over the last couple of laps I just went for it because I knew I had a chance to be on top today and this is the highest I’ve been in any session this year. Truthfully though I need dry track time because I tend to start the weekend slowly and build up, so to lose a session to the weather is not an advantage to me.
"We need to start out strong in the morning and go from there. P1 would have been sweet but P2 at just a tenth of a second off gives us reason to smile. I’m delighted to be racing here at Indy so let’s hope tomorrow brings more joy!”
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