Former champion eager to try and secure second crown.
After a disastrous 2007 season, where he meekly surrendered his MotoGP crown and finished eighth in the standings, Nicky Hayden says he is looking to try and reclaim the title in 2008.
The American endured a difficult year wearing the #1 aboard his Repsol Honda as he finished the campaign 240 points behind Ducati's Casey Stoner but said his focus was very much on trying to take the title back this year.
"My aim this year is simple: to win the title," he said. "I know that after the last season it may seem madness, but I think that when you achieve something once, you can do it again. We'll soon find out; it's not long before the season starts. I can't wait."
During pre-season testing, Hayden has been busy swapping between the new-for-2008 pneumatic-valve engine, which he hopes to race with, and the 'standard' spring-valve design from 2007 as the team tries to make a decision on which engine it will use for the start of the season in Qatar.
Although testing hasn't gone without its problems, Hayden said he was hopeful that Honda will produce a strong package for the season ahead to aid in his title challenge.
"I like what I've seen until now and we are working on development of the engine," he said. "I hope that when the time comes to take places on the grid at the Qatar GP everything is ready. I'm looking forward to seeing what Honda has done for us.
"I'm not sure that it will be perfect for the first race, but I think Honda will supply us with a competitive machine that will be ready. Qatar has a very long straight and you need a good engine, with a lot of horsepower.
"I think that the big advantage of the new bike are the additional revs of the engine. On circuit, the extra speed is great, though for the time being the bike's too sluggish, so the HRC engine specialists still have work to do before the start of the new season. More speed doesn't always necessarily mean better lap times, but during a race it's a great advantage when overtaking other riders.
"Everyone is working hard and Honda is looking forward to winning the title again. Running the first race of the year during the night is going to be fantastic for the riders, the fans, and everyone else involved. I'm looking forward to the big day."
