Nicky Hayden: Team effort vital for Ducati

Nicky Hayden reckons the key to Ducati winning back the MotoGP world title in 2009 will be team effort.

The American made his factory Ducati debut in Valencia last week, immediately working in tandem with 2007 world champion Casey Stoner to develop the new carbon fibre GP9.

Hayden is hoping to form a close relationship with the Aussie to help Ducati get more of its bikes closer to the front in MotoGP.

In the 800cc era, only Stoner has managed to be consistently competitive for the Bologna factory, and the 23-year-old is hoping to improve communication within the Marlboro-backed team after a tough season with Italian Marco Melandri.

The 2006 MotoGP world champion said it was crucial that he worked in unison with Stoner to help claim the title back from Valentino Rossi.

Rossi beat Stoner by nearly 100 points in 2008 and Hayden said: “The form that Rossi’s in, I’m not sure how much I’m going to be able to help Casey but its going to take a big effort from a whole team everybody to take that title away from him.

The team has got the right idea to get two guys working together and I’m looking forward to working closely with Casey.”