Remembering Nicky Hayden in 10 classic Kentucky Kid MotoGP moments
We mark four years since the death of Kentucky Kid Nicky Hayden in 10 moments to prove he may be gone but he is certainly not forgotten
Decades will have passed and Nicky Hayden will still be remembered as one of MotoGP's most enigamtic, friendly and devoted riders to have ever started a MotoGP race, let alone go on to win the world title.
Four years have passed since Nicky passed away from injuries sustained in a biking accident in Italy, while he was still competing strongly in the WorldSBK Championship
Rivals and peers describe him as a humble, likeable, charming and funny off track, a fast, fair and fearless competitor on it.
Here are 10 video clips that perfectly capture some of the Kentucky Kid's essence and summarise him being passionate, funny, down to earth and a talented motorcycle racer.
10. Winning his first MotoGP race in front of home fans at Laguna Seca in 2005
If you're going to win only one MotoGP race, you'd better do it on home soil. A few years had passed since America's last golden era but Hayden not only became the first. US rider to win a premier race since 2000 but he did it in front of a patrotic supporters at Laguna Seca.
9. At home in Kentucky
Forget the Osbornes, we should have had The Haydens.
8. Giving a little means a lot
All the feels...
7. Cutting his teeth on US racing scene
Hayden's rise to the top came via learning his craft on the US domestic scene and not on wider, smoother GP tracks
6. His first and only WorldSBK win
Hayden switched to WorldSBK in 2016 with Honda but the bike wasn't competitive enough to exploit his talents. However, in the levelling conditions of rain at Sepang, Hayden showed exactly what he could do as he strolled to his one and only win.
5. Nicky Hayden's proud roots
Nicky's close connection to his roots and family is something that was crucial to his success in racing. In this video, he goes back to his roots by getting in some dirt track practice in his home town of Owensboro, Kentucky
4. The ice bucket challenge
Remember when we did this (not really remembering exactly why...)? Well, Casey Stoner wasn't going to do it.
3. On the charm offensive
Nicky being charming during a Q&A session at the Red Bull Honda World Superbike launch earlier this year
2. Profile of a MotoGP legend
Only five different riders have won titles since Nicky Hayden in 2006. His name is forever etched in the sport's most prestigious prize.
1. Remembering Nicky Hayden
Despite a relatively meagre three career MotoGP wins, Hayden is fondly regarded as a deserving MotoGP World Champion (2006). Competing betrween MotoGP rider between 2003-2015, a tragically brief foray into WorldSBK was promise unfulfilled, his only victory coming the year before he passed away.
A series of tributes for much-missed 2006 MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden took place during the 2019 Grand Prix of the Americas, at Circuit of The Americas.
Midday on Friday saw FIM President Jorge Viegas and Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta preside over a ceremony attended by Hayden's family and friends in which the Kentucky Kid's #69 was officially retired from the MotoGP class.
Later that day, the MotoGP paddock will join Hayden's family, friends and track marshals at the Turn 18 'Hayden Hill' grass berm, where Hayden's 2006 Championship-winning Repsol Honda was on display.
