RIDE ON NICKY!

Ryder Notes: "Our Nick"  by julian ryder on the ground in japan  More than a few MotoGP riders have moved to WSBK later in their careers. But none of them with the coveted motoGP championship and the chance at the double. image by THE Marco Guidetti It wasn't exactly a surprise, but Nicky Hayden announced in Motegi that this is his last year in MotoGP. In 2016 he will be riding for Ten Kate Honda in World Superbike. Nick received a warm and lengthy round of applause from his fellow riders as well as the assembled media types; his answers to questions showed exactly why he is so well regarded: mention of his greatest moment, Valencia 2006, bought a smile, and then he refused to talk about any bad times on the grounds that he'd had years on both a Repsol Honda and a factory Ducati so a lot of people would happily swap their best days for his bad days. 'I would be a fool to complain about anything.' Going to SBK now was a 'good fit,' after two tough years on the customer Honda. Nicky wouldn't say that the prospect of being the first man to win both titles was a motivation but he did admit the thought had crossed his mind. As had the idea of becoming the oldest AMA champ as well as the youngest. The old dream of going back to the dirt and winning a mile is, he said, receding into the distance but 'I am a lifer in this sport,' so rider management in the future is another prospect. 'My sport, my family; that's all I know.' We will miss him.