MotoGP: Hayden hoping for a tenth Rossi title

2006 MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden says he’s hoping that 2016 will see Valentino Rossi lift his record tenth title in the premiere class.

Speaking to MCN at the Suzuka 8 Hour, where the Honda Racing World Superbike racer retired form second place with a mechanical problem, he says it would be great to see one of his great rivals achieve history.

“Vale is fast, and I hope he can come back and make a title out of it. He’s just caught some bad breaks so far, which don’t normally go his way! But that just goes to show how competitive MotoGP is.”

And despite the domination that Marc Marquez has shown so far in the championship, to now lead both Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo by a significant margin, the American says that he knows all too well that it’s far from over.

“You’d be a fool to say that Marc has the championship wrapped up, that’s for sure! Once that championship gets kicked off in the second half of the year it’s going to be busy and thing can change very quickly!

“It’s a deep field, and it can be unpredictable and crazy – just look at the last two races! I guess that’s why we love it! “