Looking at Hayden with our reference rider, Marquez, we see that Hayden’s head is nearly in line with Marquez’ but his right shoulder is significantly farther up off the ground. Hayden’s head is farther back than Marquez’ and he’s not tucked down close to the bike like Marquez is. Hayden’s right knee is much closer to the bike rather than extended toward the ground. (The red knee slider is Marquez’ while Hayden’s is black and back in the shadows.)

But let’s take a look at the two most upright riding styles superimposed, Hayden with Miller.

Once again, no Moto2 experience between these riders, but Hayden is thirteen years older. Admitting, again, that these images are not perfect, it at least appears that Miller has a greater lean angle here than Hayden. This may be an illusion, however, as we can see that, though the front fairings are aligned, the rear tires are in different positions. Miller’s rear tire is a bit closer to the curb so the ghost of his fairing appears closer to the ground.

Their right hands are in nearly the same spot in this photo, and their shoulder position is very similar. But Miller’s wrist shows a modern bend that allows his elbow to drop far below Hayden’s. Head position is quite similar, though Hayden’s is still a bit farther back indicating he’s a bit more upright in the saddle than even Miller.

Predictably, the differences in riding style between Hayden and Redding are the most pronounced.

The positions of elbow, knee and shoulder make for a dramatic difference overall. Redding’s head is nearly a full helmet width closer to the track than Hayden’s, and this composite image makes plain how straight Hayden’s right wrist is compared to Redding’s Moto2 style.

Again we see that Redding’s rear tire is closer to the curb than Hayden’s just as Miller’s was. The two younger riders take a similar line in these images.

The final Honda rider in today’s comparison is Eugene Laverty, whose riding style appears quite similar to Marquez’, in these images at least. His elbow is down, his knee right behind his elbow, his head is tucked down and looking forward.

While there are similarities to Marquez, of course there are also differences.

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