Ducati speak to Hayden and Dovizioso after Indy tangle

Nicky Hayden has confirmed that Ducati management has spoken to him and factory Desmosedici teammate Andrea Dovizioso about avoiding a repeat of recent tangles for the remainder of the 2013 MotoGP campaign.

The pair collided at the final corner of last Sunday’s Indianapolis race and both ran off track, promoting British rider Bradley Smith from 10th to eighth.

It was the third race in the last four that 2006 world champion Hayden and Italian Dovizioso have been caught up in a racing incident together.

They ran off track at the final chicane in Assen in late June and then touched on the fast start/finish straight during Hayden’s home race at Laguna Seca last month.

Hayden, who is being linked with rides in MotoGP and World Superbikes in 2014 after his release by Ducati, told MCN in Brno this afternoon that Ducati management had spoken to both of them about avoiding a repeat.

The 32-year-old said: “They have had a word with us just to try and keep it…. the main thing was what happened put Bradley through in Assen and also last weekend. They had a word to try and say hope it doesn’t happen again but they were pretty cool and they said it is racing and they understand you at least want to beat your teammate. To be fair Dovi had no problems. Of course he didn’t like it but he wasn’t complaining too bad.”