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Nicky Hayden's Mugello running spoiled by rain

Nicky Hayden's attempt to regain lost testing time at Mugello this week was spoiled by heavy rain at the Italian track

The Ducati rider was given two days of running alongside test rider Franco Battaini.

As Hayden's pre-season testing had been limited by the after-effects of injuries sustained in the 2011 season finale and in a training accident, Ducati was keen for him to get a chance to do more set-up work, but repeated heavy showers and strong winds meant he achieved little.

"We came here looking to make up time lost due to my missing the Valencia test and having limited time at the Malaysia and Jerez tests, but it was pretty much a wash," said Hayden. "It's a shame because Ducati gave me the opportunity to come and had a race-spec GP12 here, along with my whole team.

"[On Wednesday] we made two exits with slicks and also did a bit of riding in the wet, but [on Thursday] the conditions were wet but also cold and windy, completely unmanageable.

"With two back-to-back races coming up, there wasn't much to be gained by risking testing in the wet. I've learned during my career that you can't control the weather, so there's no need to complain. We'll just look forward to the race at Jerez."

Hayden finished sixth in the MotoGP season-opener in Qatar.

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