Kevin Schwantz praises resurgent Nicky Hayden

American legend Kevin Schwantz has hailed Nicky Hayden’s brilliant start to the 2010 MotoGP world championship.

The Texan said he was impressed that Hayden’s incredible work ethic, patience and talent had helped him come through a nightmare 2009 premier class campaign to conquer Ducati’s finicky Desmosedici.

This time last year Hayden was struggling to make any impact at all for Ducati and he looked destined to join a long list of big names to fail to match the brilliance of Casey Stoner.

But Hayden has been transformed so far this season with two fourth places in Qatar and Jerez. A smoother and easier to control Big Bang engine fitted to the GP10 has certainly helped, but Hayden has worked tirelessly to change his style to suit the Ducati.

For the first time since he joined Ducati, Hayden defeated team-mate Casey Stoner in last weekend’s Spanish GP.

And it was the first time Stoner was beaten by his team since the 2007 Japanese MotoGP race when Loris Capirossi won on the day the Aussie clinched his maiden world crown.

Hayden has nearly scored just one less point in two races in 2010 than he managed in the first seven last season And the 2006 world champion’s performances have caught the eye of Texan Schwantz, who was in Jerez to see Hayden’s latest impressive showing.

The 1993 world 500cc champion told MCN: “Nicky’s work ethic has never been a question, but getting his head wrapped around it when so many people have tried and failed, that is probably the biggest part of it.

“A year of basically of not being able to figure much out with that bike and watching your team-mate do as well as he did is tough.

“One of the people you least want to get beaten by is your team-mate but he’s continued to work and give the input to help make the bike better.

“Maybe the team is starting to decipher what they both like and they are getting the bike heading in a direction that better suits Nicky. But it is great to see him running at the front and looking like the old Nicky.”