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Rider Profiles

Name: Nicky Hayden

Series: MotoGP

Team: Repsol Honda

 
Rider : Nicky Hayden, USA

Team : Repsol Honda
Racing number: 1.
Race machine : RC212V

Date of birth : July 30, 1981
Birthplace : Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Height : 1.73 m.
Weight : 68 kg.
Hobbies : Dirt Track racing, music.

First race : 1986, Dirt Track race. Aged five
First AMA National win : 1998 600cc Supersport, Willow Springs
Total AMA National wins : 35. 5 x 750cc Supersport, 7 x Formula Xtreme,
6 x 600cc Supersport, 17 x Superbike

AMA National Championship titles: 2. 1 x 600 Supersport 1999 1 x Superbike 2002.

Grand prix debut : 2003 MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka, RC211V Honda.
First Grand Prix win: 2005 MotoGP United States Grand Prix - Laguna Seca RC211V Honda.
Total Grand Prix wins: 3 x MotoGP.
Total podiums places : 20 x MotoGP.

World titles : 1 x MotoGP 2006. Honda RC211V.


Nicky Hayden

Nicky Hayden goes into 2007 as the reigning MotoGP World Champion having achieved his lifelong dream to take the ultimate prize in motorcycle racing last year. In one of the most extraordinary seasons of Grand Prix action ever seen, the 25-year-old rider from Kentucky, USA displayed all his reserves of talent and determination to clinch the championship at the dramatic final round at Valencia. He is only the second rider in the history of the premier class to have taken the title having come into the last race behind on points.

During the first half of the 2006 season Hayden built up a substantial lead in the standings taking wins when they were available at Assen and Laguna Seca, and grinding out valuable points finishes when things weren’t going all his way. He made only one significant mistake - briefly running off the track at Donington Park – in an otherwise flawless season that saw his rivals’ performances ebb and flow. Ultimately it was Hayden’s consistency and dogged refusal to buckle under pressure that won him the crown.

Hayden joined the Repsol Honda Team in 2003, having demonstrated his immense talent in the United States by becoming the youngest ever AMA Superbike Champion at 21. Prior to this he had lifted the AMA Supersport title in 1999, but it’s his background in the tough world of dirt-track racing that imbued Nicky with the resilience and bike control that has taken him to the very top of the world.

Entering his fifth year with the factory Honda team Nicky is enjoying a period of stability and a strong working relationship with Chief Mechanic Pete Benson and the rest of his crew. A willingness to learn and constantly push his own performance has seen Hayden improve year on year, and there’s no sign that the American plans to halt that process.

From motorcycle racing stock, almost Nicky’s entire family are motorcycle racers with father Earl having been a dirt-track rider, and brother Tommy and Roger-Lee both professional riders in the US. Even mother Rose and sister Jenny have raced bikes.

For 2007 Hayden faces the fresh challenge of the 800cc era with a brand new machine in the shape of the Honda RC212V. Ready to adapt his rear-wheel-steering style to the higher corner speeds and reduced power outputs, Hayden will be determined to mount a robust defence of his title, fully aware that his rivals will have new-found motivation and respect for the 2006 World Champion.

Totally dedicated to riding motorcycles Hayden takes pride in being super-fit and is a strong believer that putting in the work will produce ultimate rewards. “This proves that good things happen to good people,” Nicky declared after taking the title in Valencia and few disagreed with him. Hayden’s flood of emotions as he clinched that unbelievably dramatic 2006 MotoGP crown will go down as one of the all-time memorable images of motorcycling. Proudly displaying the number-one plate in place of his traditional number 69, it’s a certainty that the “Kentucky Kid” will be totally focussed on retaining his crown in 2007.


Career Highlights - Nicky Hayden

1985 : First minibike dirt track race
1992 : First minibike roadrace
1997 : Winner Horizon dirt track award (Harley Davidson)
First AMA National roadrace (Kawasaki)
1998 : 4th AMA 750 Supersport Series
1998 : 4th AMA 600 Supersport Series
1999 : AMA 600 Supersport Champion
1999 : 2nd AMA Formula Xtreme Series
1999 : AMA Dirt Track 'Rookie of the Year'
1999 : 'Speedvision Pro Athlete of the Year'
2000 : 2nd AMA Chevy Trucks Trucks Superbike Series
2000 : 4th AMA Pro Honda Oils 600 Supersport Series
2001 : 3rd AMA Superbike Series
2002 : AMA Superbike Champion
2003 : 5th MotoGP World Championship
2003 : MotoGP 'Rookie of the Year'
2004 : 8th MotoGP World Championship
2005 : 3rd MotoGP World Championship - race wins 1.
2006 : MotoGP World Champion - race wins 2.
 

Info supplied by Repsol Honda