His staying with Livio Suppo's team for an additional year would actually be a small record he can really be proud of – if he succeeds, that is – considering that the last two rides who have come to partner Casey Stoner at Ducati have left the team after only one season. Both Loris Capirossi and Marco Melandri struggled with the powerful Ducatis in recent years and failed to live up to their expectations at the Italian team.
“I know at some stage I'm going to have to put up some results, I know fifth and eighth probably isn't going to be enough to get Marlboro or Ducati - they might want to try somebody else at that spot. We'll see, but I'm not too worried about that. Obviously you worry about your future and what's going on but I think we can continue,” said Hayden in an interview with British publication Autosport.
The Kentuckian started the season with some pretty disappointing performances, but improved constantly – in terms of finishing positions – starting the French GP, at Le Mans. His best result so far is a 5th place in his home grand prix, at Laguna Seca.
“It's a two-year deal but it's their option if they want to bring me back. It's been hard but now we're making progress. I looked at this as a challenge from the beginning and I don't want to give up. I want to say hey I conquered it, I was able to ride that bike, I was able to do it. We'll see if they want to bring me back,” added Hayden.
The 2006 MotoGP champion is currently 13th overall in the riders classification, only one point behind San Marino's Alex de Angelis and Spain's Toni Elias.
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