Honda’s Nicky Hayden just missed a chance to make his return to MotoGP after being called on to replace Jack Miller at Silverstone if the young Aussie failed a fitness test.
Miller was withdrawn from the Brno race as his Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS team and Honda didn’t think he had enough time to recover and he had undergo another examination by medics last Thursday, so Hayden was brought in - special leathers and all - to cover if Miller couldn’t ride.
“There was a chance I could get back in the saddle on a MotoGP at Silverstone. Jack Miller’s team (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) wasn’t sure he was able to ride, so they asked me to come along. It wasn’t decided until Thursday, after he had his last scans,” said Hayden.
“It would have been like jumping straight into the fire pit after not having ridden the bike for the whole year, but I thought ‘why not’. I would have been locked in front of the TV anyway, so I might as well have done the real thing. Honda Motor Europe was totally behind it and of course the Ten Kate guys gave me their blessing, but luckily for Jack it turned out he was okay: he’s a buddy of mine and I’m a big supporter of his, so I was happy for him.”