Riders hit out at resurfaced track

Riders were lapping six seconds off the expected pace during this morning's opening practice session, and there were many complaints about both a lack of grip and the nunber of bumps on the track.

"I'm pretty disappointed in the new track surface. It seems a lot more bumpy than in the past," Stoner said.

"The old surface was very impressive, one of the smoothest circuits around, there were a few bumps but not so many.

"Now in most of the corners we have quite a lot of bumps - but it's not one or two bumps, it's progressive. So it's almost like riding on the kerbs."

Stoner conceded that the situation improved by the second session.

"The grip this afternoon was becoming a little better, but still not so good," he said.

"This morning's session was unbelievable, because I was looking at the front tyre going around and it was just white because there was so much dust and dirt. The bumps bring a lot of chattering to the front end, and a lot of instability.

"In the past I'd say this surface was pretty good. Now it's a disaster."

Hayden was more concerned about the surface's effect on tyre wear than the bumps.

"The new track is really shredding tyres," he said. "I couldn't have done 21 laps today with any tyre that I tried.

"I've used almost everything and it doesn't make any difference. It's just dirty, and the tyres just sit on top. For me, it was chewing them up."

When asked how long he thought his tyres would last if the track's condition didn't improve, Hayden replied: "I'd say seven or eight laps. That's my main concern."

He added that MotoGP had encountered similar problems at other resurfaced tracks earlier in the year.

"I don't know what's going on, not just here, but all these resurfaced tracks," Hayden said.

"We didn't get it any better at Laguna. Maybe they're doing something to make them good for cars, but they're worse (for bikes). Here, Laguna, the Sachsenring was worse, they ain't doing a good job. It's pretty crap, really."