Roger Lee will be riding a third Kawasaki at Laguna Seca, with only minimal previous experience of the 800cc ZX-RR, and also be competing in the AMA Supersport event.

"I'm sure once we get there and things start happening we'll talk, but Roger likes to do things his own way a bit," said Nicky. "I'm quite excited; I think it's going to be fun - also Duhamel's riding - it's good for the American fans and it gives the guys a chance. Roger hasn't really ridden the bike. He went to Japan to test it, but it rained most of the time - so he's getting thrown in a little bit cold turkey, but we'll see how it goes."

What Roger Lee - and Miguel Duhamel - lack in terms of MotoGP experience they will hope to make up for in track knowledge, although Hayden is keeping his expectations low.

"I'm really looking forward to riding the bike again at Laguna; it's a track I know pretty well and I've had a lot of luck here in the past," confirmed Roger. "This weekend's a big challenge to learn more about the ZX-RR, and about riding in a top level race, but I don't have any big expectations and I'm not putting too much pressure on myself. It should be a great weekend, though, as I always get lots of support from the fans in the AMA Superbike and Supersport races and I'm sure they'll be cheering for all the Americans on the grid in MotoGP."

Roger Lee will be riding alongside Kawasaki regulars Randy de Puniet and Anthony West, while Duhamel is replacing the injured Toni Elias at Gresini Honda.