Where does Nicky Hayden fit in 2013? His Ducati option is expired and he is free to talk to other teams, other series or, stay right where he is at if the moon and the stars align. He takes with him a large fan base, many of whom are in the USA. So the question is, if Nicky Hayden isn’t on a factory GP bike, is Ducati changing focus from the American market?

How Ducati has arrived at this crossroads is clear and no question it’s complicated. There’s a saying in racing – “The first person you have to beat is your own team mate”. Well that’s not ideal if your team mate is the #1 rider on the Ducati Corse team and among a small handful of the most powerful men in motorcycle racing. In a year where Valentino Rossi wasn’t backed into an obvious professional corner things might be different and Nicky Hayden might have remained under the protective favor of VR46. But this year Valentino Rossi had enough to worry about and that left Nicky Hayden exposed. From a team perspective, with only so many spaces on factory bikes possible, Rossi approaching the end of his motorcycle racing career, it’s clear a younger future must be considered. Adding to the complication is the unfortunate fact that just about every gold standard rider’s contract expired this year. Decisions that might have waited until 2013 became 2012 issues. If they don’t get it right this year next year’s crop of available riders to pick from will be sparse. Finally, Rossi wields the Italian press like a bat to communicate what he wants from Ducati. Looking for balance in the garage to the largeness of superstar Rossi may have been the final straw.

To read the rest click HERE