Hayden denies Superbike rumours
Nicky Hayden, the 2006 MotoGP World Champion, has denied that he's off to Superbikes next season with Ducati.
With Honda having confirmed their line-up for next season and Yamaha retaining Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati is the only factory team in MotoGP with both seats still open – and they are in hot demand.
One rider who is believed to be eyeing up Hayden's ride is Cal Crutchlow – and the interest is mutual.
Ducati have reportedly made the Tech 3 Yamaha rider a lucrative offer for a two-year contract, which would leave Hayden without a ride as the team is also thought to be keen to retain Valentino Rossi.
This sparked rumours that Hayden, MotoGP's Kentucky Kid, could be off to the World Superbike series next season although still sticking with Ducati. Hayden has denied this.
"I haven't thought about that," said the 30-year-old.
"Everybody says I've spoken to Ducati about World Superbikes. It's never even been mentioned. It's a rumour people say like they know something, which makes me laugh, because it shows how much journalists really don't know."
The American, who finished seventh in Sunday's Italian GP, added that he's determined to remain in MotoGP next season.
"I have to think about my future. I've said from the beginning that I really like it here. The team is great, he said.
"Obviously we haven't got the results in the last year and a half that maybe I would've expected. We'll see what happens. I hope things work out, I've got a lot of support from people at Ducati, so I hope we can make it happen."
