The Australian weekend did not generate any fond memories for Nicky Hayden and Honda. Besides the wide gap behind the leaders, the American ended up in the gravel during the ninth lap of Race 2, suffering an injury to his knee, the same one that underwent ligament reconstruction surgery in November.
Initially the worst was feared, but then tests showed that it was nothing serious. Therefore, Nicky Hayden will be astride his Honda taking care of business as usual for the Thai Buriram round, scheduled for next weekend. It will be another chance to get to know the Fireblade SP2 better as the European Superbike rounds approach in early April.