Nicky Hayden focused on big improvement for 2010

Nicky Hayden has admitted he will need to make a massive improvement in 2010 after a largely frustrating and disappointing debut MotoGP campaign with Ducati’s factory squad.

The 2006 world champion scored only one podium last season and became the latest high profile rider that failed to match the impressive performances of Australian Casey Stoner.

The Kentucky rider didn’t score a top ten finish until round six last season but he significantly improved on the factory Ducati GP9 and only three times in the final ten races did he finish outside of the top ten.

Assessing his ’09 and looking forward to next season, the 28-year-old told MCN: “The year was so hard and the beginning was a complete nightmare.

“Mugello was a low point. Being Ducati’s home race and running around in last and three seconds off the pace was a joke.

“But I’m proud of the team because it would have been so easy to fire the rider.

But we pulled together and Ducati worked really hard to help me. The season didn’t end great but I was competitive with a podium and two top fives, but certainly I’m going to have to do a lot better next year.

“I’ll sit down and analyse everything and see where the next tenths are going to come from.”