Mugello MotoGP: Nicky Hayden accepts blame for crash

Nicky Hayden refused to blame an on-going front-end issue for Ducati’s new GP10 contender after his promising start to 2010 came to an abrupt end in Mugello.
Hayden got a shocking start from the second row of the grid and lost two places on the opening lap before he moved back into fifth on lap three when he passed the fast-starting Ben Spies.

Marco Melandri dropped Hayden back to sixth a lap later though and trying to mount an immediate counter attack he crashed out, losing the front of his GP10 in front of a mass gathering of Ducati fans.

But the 2006 world champion took responsibility for the crash. Ducati has been plagued by a host of front-end crashes so far in 2010 and Aussie team-mate Casey Stoner even switched back to a set of 2009 Ohlins front forks for the Italian MotoGP race.

Hayden said: “I’m not going to blame the front-end for that at all. I’ll hold my hands up and say it was totally my fault. I screwed the start up and got beat up into turn one but I was able to make a couple of passes and thought I could fight for it. My rhythm wasn’t that good and I was just trying to make up too much time into that downhill corner.

It was a rider error and it’s a bummer because it’s the team’s home race and they’ve all worked really hard. All I can say is I am sorry – that one was on me. I’m completely okay so that’s the good thing but it still hurts.”

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