SBK, Hayden, “Misano's not been lucky for me, but I'll fight”

The eighth round of the 2016 Superbike season is taking place at Misano from 17 to 19 June and the same Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” already hosted the Honda Ten Kate team and riders Nicky Hayden and Michael Van Der Mark for a test earlier this month, during which the team worked in preparation for the upcoming race, and the rest of the season.

For the Kentucky Kid the Misano track is nothing new, given that he's raced there many times in MotoGP but he knows that the Superbikes will be different: “Finally we head to Misano! Before this event I've been watching my brother race in Alabama, where he won; it was great to be there with him, but I suffered a bit as watching others race just makes me want to get on the bike!”

Nicky arrives at the coast where he has spent many summer holidays and knows the people, the atmosphere and the difficult Romagnolo track: “Honestly, I've never been lucky at this track, it's never been kind to me... through the first part, the slow section, we need to make the biggest improvement, but you set times at Misano through the second part, in the three fast turns. Hopefully we can start out on the right foot and have a good battle”.

It's the second time that Dutchman Van Der Mark will be riding a 1000 SBK at Misano, and the young rider, after a very useful test earlier this month, has renewed confidence with the throttle of his Honda CBR Fireblade, the same that he had at the start of the championship: “During the tests we carried out here I was able to get back the feeling that I'd lost with the bike. After working together with the team, I now feel more comfortable and so I thank everyone for that”.

The Rotterdam rider, after some disappointing races, knows what to focus on at Misano: “This is the time for me and the team to get back to the level we were at earlier this season... we've missed out on a podium at several rounds. We're in the second half of the season and every race will be crucial for the final standings, so our objective is to get back to the podium”.