Nick Hayden had a stand out 2005 season. He talks about it here on Soup.

American GP star Nick Hayden called the Soup office yesterday and while I had him on the telephone I ran some questions by him for an update interview. The interview actually became fairly in-depth. Hayden, 24, sounded off on Max Biaggi, the front end chatter that plagues most of the current MotoGP bikes, new riders going fast in MGP and his rival Valentino Rossi. Here's the transcript (thanks Susan).

A I never rode the new bike. I only really saw it when they brought it to Brno, so we hadn't actually seen the new bike since, and I didn't get a chance to ride it there. Only Max and Sete rode it. Nobody raced the new bike. The only time the new bike was around was at the test after Brno, where the on that tuesday Max and Sete rode it, and that's the only time we've seen the new bike.

At Sepang we tested a chassis that is similar to what the new bike's actual chassis is. It has some good points. We're definitely trying to get it better on the brakes, and more stable, and the stuff they came up with really—it was nice on the brakes, and definitely improved in some areas, but it's kind of one of those things. It's like a compromise. You make it better in one area, then it's going to hurt the other area.

The chassis I tested at Sepang was the chassis that both Gibernau and Biaggi used late in the year. Max used it more than Sete. He used it maybe three or four of the last six, seven races - something like that.

American Nick Hayden was in attack mode as the 2005 season wore down. The USGP winner ran at the front in nearly every race. image by mi nolta

Q If there's a short list of things to be improved on the bike that you're riding, what would they be? Better in slow corners, more stable, and what else?

A Definitely get it more stable on the brakes, and get rid of some chatter and hopping. The thing is, the bike is really good now, so it's hard to—it's not like they're going to just make big improvements overnight. I think also they're looking to increase the top speed again. Some of the bikes have closed up and gotten a lot closer to the Honda in terms of speed. Definitely for race situations, even though that top speed might not actually help so much just in outright lap time, it's definitely nice, in the race, at some of those tracks, to be able to make passes. Another thing we'd like to see is an improvement in the way the bike turns; try and get the bike to turn a bit better in all corners. Fast corners, slow corners - the sooner you can get it turned, the better you are. So a lot of little things to try to make some improvements.

Q We're two years into this chatter situation, aren't we?

A The chatter has definitely gotten better, but I think, now, the tires have changed so far that I think everybody has the chatter now. I think Yamaha ... I think everybody has chatter. If the rider can ride around it ... I think that's one thing that has hurt Max so much lately. For him, that's his biggest problem—chatter. The tires are just getting so good now, they've got so much grip on the edge, that I think chatter's just a problem that you're going to have to deal with, just like anything. I don't think you're just going to be able to adjust chatter out. My opinion, anyway.

Q It's just going to be a constant problem?

A Yeah, it's just going to be like trail brakes, or something else. You're going to have to learn to deal with it. Everybody I know has it, it does not matter what kind of bike. There's only so much adjustments and things you can do to fix it. Like trail braking—it's just going to have to be part of your game, to learn to ride with it.

Q You were teamed with Max Biaggi for a year. What was it like?

Max is not on Nick's Xmas card list. And it got off to a rough start. image by tim huntington

A I hardly ever spoke to the guy. I probably didn't say ten words to the guy the whole year. In the past we'd had a few problems, and this year at Jerez at the test we got into a pretty nice little argument and almost came to blows. From there on out, I never really had any problems with him.

It didn't work for him. Everybody thought, oh, he's on the factory Honda, back with Erv, this was going to be his year. Max—when he's on, he is so fast—some races this year he was by far the fastest guy on Michelins. I've got respect for his game, because even though his results look so bad this year, there were times this year when he was still really fast. But, the guy's just ... it's a amazing that he's got all that Camel money behind him, and he's a good rider, five-time world champ or whatever in 250, but nobody wants him.

On being teamed with Max Biaggi: "I hardly ever spoke to the guy. I probably didn't say ten words to the guy the whole year. In the past we'd had a few problems, and this year at Jerez at the test we got into a pretty nice little argument and almost came to blows."

I think that's a lesson for any kid coming up, even for me. You can't be a ... you've got to be able to work with your team, and you can't throw everybody under the bus. It's just sad that the dude's got all this money and talent and all these credentials, but nobody will take him because nobody wants to work with him. I will say he was hard on a lot of people. A lot of guys definitely didn't like working with him around the team. Honestly, I hope he gets a ride in MotoGP. He's one of those guys that ... I definitely hate when I see him in front of me, I love to beat him just like I love to beat everybody else, but it would make the series a little bit duller without a few Max stories, a few weekends ... choking somebody or just whatever. The guy brings a bit of entertainment, good or bad.

Q You brought up Kanemoto. A lot of people would like to see you working with Kanemoto. Is there any idea what his role is going to be in the team, or if he's going to have one?

A He wasn't at the Malaysia test. I don't know if he's going to be back with HRC next year, to be honest. This year he mostly worked with Max, and I would say 98% of the time he was on Max's side. I did think at the beginning of the year, I was really looking forward to working with Erv. The idea, as a kid you grow up and (Gary) Nixon was always in my ear, all these people you'd see and hear about guys working with Erv, and how great it was. I got to talk to him a bit, and definitely the guy's got a lot of knowledge, and when I did get the chance to talk to him, I did like bouncing a few things off him. But he pretty well had his hands full over there on Max's side (of the garage), and that's where he stayed. It took up so much of his time, he never got a chance to really work with me at all. But hopefully maybe some of his ideas and stuff will help HRC make things better in the future.

Q At this recent test several new to MotoGP riders went pretty fast. What does that say to you? Is a 250 rider a natural now on a MotoGP bike, where before it was a Superbike style that was required? Or do you even need a 250 style to go fast on a MotoGP bike? As I wrote in my e-mail to you, there's a huge amount of very confusing data you could come away from that test with. What do you think?

A It is definitely interesting. I don't think it's necessarily a Superbike style or just 250 style that you need. I think it's a compromise. The bike has definitely gotten easier to ride now than it was a few years ago in terms of power delivery, and also the electronics now have made it, I think, where it's easier for a 250 guy to come in than probably it would've been a couple of years ago for a 250 rider to come in, for sure.

They came in and went fast, and I think - obviously, I don't like a kid coming in and being faster than me, I've got to be honest with you, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. It's going to make the series even better; there'll be some good racing. Definitely a lot of new young blood in. We'll see. One test is one test—the races is what really will tell the story.

Q And as you've stated many times, you're not the world's greatest tester.

A Lap times set at tests, right now, definitely don't tell the story. Melandri would probably be the fastest guy there, consistently. But it's a test, my outright lap times weren't that great, but I spent most of the test using tires that we used there from the race, and was only testing chassis and things. It wasn't until the very end of the last day that I tried some of the newer tires, and immediately did my best times of the weekend, even though the track probably wasn't the best on the last day there. these new riders being fast, it's definitely going to let a lot of people make headlines. Definitely Casey (Stoner) and Dani (Pedrosa), they've got a lot of talent, they're really good riders, so it'll be fun.

Q Before you left this year, you told me that you wanted to be faster on the side of the tire. How do you think you did?

A I think more than that. I just started the year strong, definitely—I came out really ready to go, and then the first race of the year, to crash out running third really put me in a hole. And then we had two rain races. I make no excuses there, I was just horrible those two wet races. It just definitely put me in a hole. And then Laguna, winning was a big boost, and then from there, I felt like I was riding better, and also started working a lot better with the team. This year was a new position for my crew chief, and also one of my HRC engineers was new to work with this year, and my suspension guy ... and I just started working a lot better with those guys, and getting the bike closer to me as the season went on. At the end of the year I was getting close. But looking back now, I just still need to get that last little bit, not just to be better, but to be there at the end, and find a way to win.

I'm definitely not happy about Phillip Island and Valencia, two races that I could've won. But, shoulda, woulda, ifs and buts. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, every day would be Christmas. I definitely feel frustrated now that the season's over when I was so close at the end of the year. I wish we were still racing. I wanted to win again away from Laguna really bad, and it didn't happen. But it's the off-season, and there's definitely some stuff we've got to work on, and get faster consistently during the weekend, so come the race I'm not trying to make up a lot of time, so I'm a lot more ready to go.

Q One of those races, you said you were re-living the last lap for a week afterward. Which one was that?

A Valencia.

Q Can you talk me through that last lap, and how it happened?

A Marco was really fast all weekend, and in the race, the pace was quite fast, but I felt pretty good running it. At the end, I just ... it's so hard to pass at Valencia, but I think there comes a time late in the race where you don't wait and look for a hole, you've got to just make the hole and find a way to win. That's what Valentino does so much. I feel like throughout my career, I've been able to, late in the races, when it comes down to making it happen and winning the race, that's what winners do. I was disappointed that I at least didn't go for it a bit more. But you can always look back now and say "I shoulda did this, I shoulda done that."

Q Do you think you could've pushed your way to a win, or pushed yourself up a couple of spots?

A Just went more for the win, being the last race of the year. But I did that the two years before and crashed out both times.

Q Was that was in your head?

A Not that that was huge, but that's how sometimes the last race of the year goes. You always think you let it all hang out and make it happen. But still, I'm happy to see a lot of improvement there at the end of the year. We've definitely got something that if we can take another step forward this off-season, that if we can find a little bit more, we'll be looking all right.

Q One of the things I just find amazing is that the lap times are falling like snow. Top speeds are way up, but the amount of crashing in MotoGP seems very low.

A Well, the lap times, I think, is so much down to the tires. Now, with these bikes, with the power they've got, the tires make such a big difference. Even just the tire that you like, or when they bring something new, they keep amazing me how they put so much effort into making their tires. Also in the rain. In Malaysia we tested intermediate stuff, and those guys - I think that's where the biggest part of the lap times comes. But the crashing is hard for me to say. You definitely don't see the highsides, like people talk about in the 500 days. As far as the power, the power is quite smooth on these bikes, it's putting it down nice, but still, so you just ride harder. So I don't really know why the crashes are down; it doesn't seem like that's the case to me. I see plenty of guys putting them on the ground during the weekend, some guys having a couple. But I guess the numbers don't lie.

Q Laguna Seca: there were a lot of catcalls this year from the European riders. What do you think we're going to hear about the track next year from the European riders? What's the general mood over there regarding Laguna in 2006?

Nick will always have fond memories of Laguna image by tim huntington

A I definitely heard that they're going to make changes, and a lot of riders say it's got to be changed. Obviously, I'm going to say I thought it was pretty good, to me. That's what I know, that's what I grew up on, that's the kind of track, and sure, I felt totally comfortable there. It was my people, my country, just the kind of track I grew up on, what I know.

There's a few spots that are, I think, need some improvement, but I think a lot of the European riders just had it in their head before they even got to Laguna that the track wasn't up to the level. I'm all for them making more runoff, making it safer, doing what we need to do. But there's other tracks around the world that have just as bad stuff. Mugello, at the bottom of the hill - there's not a corner at Laguna nearly as bad as that track. And also the bumpiness. I think Laguna's less bumpy than Germany, less bumpy than a lot of tracks we go to. So I'm all for making the track safer and making it better, but I think it got a bit of a bad rap. Laguna did a lot of work and definitely made it a lot better. The last part of the track, down through Rainey Curve, I thought they did a great job on all that.

Q You think the criticism of the track was blown out of proportion?

A Yeah, I think they blew it up a bit. I don't think it was as bad as some people thought. Also, going up to the Corkscrew there, I think some riders thought that hill needed shaved down, because (they say) it's too steep, and the bike was bottoming out; but to me, there's an art to getting over that hill so it doesn't seem so steep and doesn't wheelie so bad. It's just a racetrack. I thought it wasn't as bad as some people made it out to be, but at the same time, it was a full house, the track was sold out, the fans showed up, so I think it's only right Laguna keeps working to make it better for the future.

Q What are you going to do this off-season? Any big plans?

Nick's offseason will be very much focused on next season image by tim huntington

A Not really. I'm in Florida right now with my brothers. It's where the trainer we've been working with lives. No real off-season. I want to be World Champ, so it's not like I'm going to go on a big two-month holiday or something. After the last race I chilled out a bit, definitely, did some stuff around home, but I'm quite busy, really. Even though it's the off-season and no testing, they keep us pretty busy with sponsor things and doing whatever. Talking to you. Stuff like that. I love what I do.

Q Some are suggesting that this might be Rossi's last year in MotoGP, which means 2006 may be the last time somebody'll have a chance to beat him heads up on a MotoGP bike. How often do you think about that, or about beating Rossi?

A It would be nice, before he leaves, for somebody to really beat him. Yeah. I know, right now, he's definitely got a step on everybody as far as week in and week out. With only one more year, I'm going to have to make a big improvement, fast, and do a lot if I want to beat him. The idea of beating him before he went off would be just awesome. People say he's the best of our time and all that, so definitely ... I don't like him having the championship sewed up five races early. That ain't cool at all. Hopefully next year it's not so easy on him.

Q Do you ever sit and mull what that guy's strength is, and where, really, it's based?

A You definitely see a guy winning those races, you've got to try to watch him and see what he does, what he's doing. He's just the package. It doesn't rain or shine, it doesn't matter the track, it's an attitude - he brings his A game every week. He doesn't have off weekends. And if he does, it's third or something. Over a season, 17 races, that's what makes him so strong. He just finds a way to win a lot of those races. Hats off to him.