Randy de Puniet
At the new race in San Marino, Hayden finished 13th after a poor start and a crash—involving Randy de Puniet and Pedrosa—forced him into the gravel. At the Portuguese round, Hayden scored his first and only pole position of the season on Saturday, outqualifying Casey Stoner by just 0.040 seconds. However, he would struggle on race day, managing to finish just off the podium in fourth after moving up the order after an early race slump. In Japan, Hayden finished in ninth place.