Catalunya MotoGP: Nicky Hayden to try radical new Ducati set-up

Struggling factory Ducati rider Nicky Hayden will gamble on a radical new set-up on his GP9 machine in Catalunya tomorrow, the American desperate to try and find a big breakthrough in what has been a gruelling 2009 campaign so far.

The 2006 world champion, who has yet to finish higher than 12th in 2009, will experiment with a massively different setting tested by Ducati development rider Vittoriano Guareschi at the Mugello circuit in Italy last week.

One of Hayden’s GP9 machines will start with the new setting for tomorrow’s opening practice and Hayden said: “Vito tried some stuff as far as geometry. I’m not sure if it’s exactly the right thing to do, but I’ve got nothing to lose. It’s completely different. I think the only thing that’s the same on it’s going to be the handlebar grips, because it’s a lot of different position and stuff.

“It’s got a different electronic setting and the riding position is different. I’m struggling a lot to get the bike to turn, so it’s going to put me more on the front of the bike. With that, it’s got a different wheelbase, different geometry to get the weight more on the front, so that changes a lot of things to get that.”

Hayden told MCN that he’d not directly asked for the new setting, adding: “It was something more Vito found when he was in Mugello. It’s a setting that he quite liked and knowing my problem that was something they worked toward.”

While Hayden has so far struggled to adapt to the GP9, Aussie team-mate Casey Stoner has continued his brilliant form. The 23-year-old goes into Sunday’s 25-lap race with a four-point lead over home favourite Jorge Lorenzo.