Hayden struggles

Reigning MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden slumped to 14th fastest on the final day of testing in Qatar as he tried to bounce back from a day two horror show.

The Repsol Honda rider crashed twice yesterday and his confidence had clearly suffered as he struggled to break into the 1.57s. And adding to a tough test for the American, he had to abort a planned race simulation after 14 laps today with grip problems from his rear Michelin tyre.

Hayden said: “There’s no hiding from the fact that this has been a tough three days. It started well but yesterday’s crashes set me back, and today I just decided to ride and not worry about the lap times to get some feel back. We got to put this behind us and try and get back on track in Jerez next week.”