Hayden has always respected and admired Stoner, especially the efforts of the young Australian to tame the often-brutal performance of Ducat's V-4 bikes. And the potential for a more harmonious and normal team relationship at Ducati appeals to Hayden.
"I look forward to being a teammate again and working with a team, and everybody being on the same page and sharing information amongst the garage, " Hayden said. "I like being part of a team. And I've got no problems at all with Casey; I have a lot of respect for the way he just comes in and does his job.
"Casey's not the flashiest guy out there, he just gets on with his business and let's his results speak for him."
Hayden will arrive at Ducati just as the Italian will start to race the revolutionary GP9 with a carbon-fiber frame that uses the V4 motor as a fully
stressed member of the chassis. The GP9 has been influenced by design processes from Formula One and Hayden will be part of a challenging but exciting period in Ducati's history.
Stoner has already ridden the GP9 in testing at Barcelona, and was instantly fast on the new bike.
Hayden has watched Stoner do a lot of winning over the past two seasons, and just how hard the young Australian has worked to make the Ducati a race winner.
"The bike has got a lot of potential and obviously it's hard to get that potential out of it but Casey rides the wheels off that bike," Hayden said. "He rides it hard and he gets rewarded for that. But I don't want to say too much until I try it myself."
And will the challenge of mastering the Ducati be part a motivating factor next year?
"I just want to get results."
