The San Marino GP seems to be jinxed for Nicky Hayden.
The good-natured American in the year that MotoGP returned to the Italian circuit ran off track trying to avoid a crash and cut his tire.
The second year he didn’t race, because he was recovering from a foot injury picked up in a Supermoto race at the X-Games in Los Angeles and last year got caught up in the crash when Alex de Angelis went in hot and heavy into turn two on lap 1 and wiped out both Colin Edwards and Hayden.
This year Hayden qualified only 14th and at the start of the race he hit Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi and both riders went down.
The Ducatista wasn’t completely sure of what happened, but former World Champion Wayne Gardner from his website waynegardnerapproved.
com placed the blame squarely on Hayden:“The first lap Hayden accident was completely ridiculous.
I don’t know what he was doing or what he was thinking.
I see it as complete rider error.
The commentators went very easy on him, saying they couldn’t tell whose fault it was.
It was quite obvious.
Hayden must have had a set of horse blinkers on.
Even though Capirossi was right next to him he’s just given it a fist-full, tried to drive out wide and ended up taking him out.
I just think it was a case of brain fade.
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