Nicky Hayden didn’t win the German MotoGP but he made the podium with a solid 3rd place. After leading from the start, a crash and red flag stopped the race and required a restart. On the restart, Nicky was again in the lead until Rossi and Gibernau both got by. Hayden repassed Rossi who, a little while later, returned the favor. The Gibernau, Rossi, Hayden trio raced that way until the last lap when Gibernau made a huge mistake running wide and let Rossi by and almost let Hayden by as well. And that was how they finished, Rossi, Gibernau, Hayden.
Nicky seemed quite disappointed in the post race interview, however, getting his second career MotoGP pole position, leading for quite a few laps and finishing third is nothing to be sorry for and shows he can compete with the top riders on their tracks. Would it have been better if he had won? For those of us who want him to win, of course, but he has stepped up to a higher level of riding, the Laguna Seca win may have given him the mental boost he needed. It’s too late this year to make a major points difference but if he can stay on the podium, it may be a sign he’s finally ready to challenge for the lead in every race. That would be a very fine thing.