Hayden admits title dreams slipping away

Reigning world champion Nicky Hayden has conceded his hopes of retaining the MotoGP crown are slipping away just five races into the 2007 season.

Hayden’s tough title defence continued in Le Mans on Sunday when he crashed in torrential rain out of fourth place, which would have been his best result so fat on the struggling new factory Honda RC212V 800.

He suffered a painful rib injury in the crash but was cleared to test yesterday (Monday) at Le Mans after a thorough fitness check.

His France DNF though leaves him down in 11th place in the series standings and already trailing points-leader Casey Stoner by a massive 72-points.

The Repsol Honda rider told MCN: “Unless we do something quick the yeah, it looks to be slipping away.

“I’ve always been a momentum guy and I’m not going to give up now. But I know unless we do something quick and get a bike that I can ride the way I want we could be in trouble.

And the 25-year-old added: “Right now I’m not even thinking about points, just thinking about trying to get the bike right and win races. Points are the farthest thing from my mind right now.”