Nicky Hayden

Nicky Hayden

Hayden in 2009.
Nationality  American
Born July 30, 1981
Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Current team Aspar MotoGP Team
Bike number 69
Website nickyhayden.com
Motorcycle racing career statistics
MotoGP World Championship
Active years2003–present
ManufacturersHonda, Ducati
Championships1 (2006)
2014 Championship position16th (47 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
201 3 28 5 7 1684

Nicholas "Nicky" Patrick Hayden (born July 30, 1981), nicknamed The Kentucky Kid, is an American professional motorcycle racer who won the MotoGP World Championship in 2006.

Early career

Hayden was born in Owensboro, Kentucky. As a youth, racing twice his age CMRA, Hayden would often start the race from the back of the starting grid while a family or crew member held his bike upright because he could not touch the ground. Later, at age 17, he was racing factory Honda RC45 superbikes while still in high school. In 1999, he won the AMA Supersport championship on board a privateer Honda. In 2001, his first full season as an AMA superbike racer, he came within 40 points of winning the championship, finishing behind only champion Mat Mladin and runner-up Eric Bostrom. The 2002 season, however, would see Hayden answering the bell: he won the Daytona 200 on a Honda Superbike en route to becoming the youngest ever AMA Superbike Champion, defeating reigning triple champion Mat Mladin, among others. He also entered the World Superbike round at Laguna Seca, making a solid 4th in the first race before colliding with Noriyuki Haga in race two.

Hayden is one of a long line of American road racers to come from the American dirt-track scene. In 1999, Hayden won his first Grand National Championship race (Hagerstown Half Mile) and took Rookie of the Year honors. He was also declared the AMA's athlete of the Year. In 2000, Nicky Hayden won the Springfield Short Track. In 2002, despite racing in just a handful of dirt-track events, Hayden was able to win four races: Springfield Short Track (twice), Springfield TT, and Peoria TT . At the Springfield TT race, the three Hayden brothers took the first three places (Nicky 1st, Tommy 2nd, and Roger Lee 3rd).[1] The win at the 2002 Peoria TT came after beating thirteen-time Peoria winner, Chris Carr, despite starting from the penalty line. Hayden only lacks a win at a mile track to join Dick Mann, Kenny Roberts Sr., Bubba Shobert, and Doug Chandler in the prestigious "Grand Slam Club."

MotoGP career

Honda (2003–2008)

2003–2005

Immediately after winning his AMA Superbike championship, Hayden was tapped to join not only Honda's MotoGP racing efforts, but what was arguably the premier team in MotoGP racing: Repsol Honda. Hayden also became teammate to the defending series champion Valentino Rossi. Hayden was seemingly unfazed, and in his first year of MotoGP racing (2003), he finished fifth in the championship points standings while riding Honda's RC211V, an achievement that won him the Rookie-of-the-Year award. In 2005, Hayden finished third in the MotoGP championship points standings behind Marco Melandri and series winner Valentino Rossi. In 2004, however, Hayden had a difficult year and was widely critiqued, luckily he answered critics with his first win in 2005.

2006

For 2006, Hayden was charged with spearheading Repsol Honda's championship aspirations, and was the only rider to be handed the full 2006 Honda bike during pre-season testing. He led the championship from the third race and looked set to break Valentino Rossi's championship-winning streak. Capturing the championship was not without peril: in the second to last round at Estoril in Portugal, teammate Dani Pedrosa lost the front-end on the brakes (a lowside) to avoid colliding with Hayden. The resulting lowside accident took out both bikes. This left Hayden eight points behind Rossi in the championship with one race left to go. In the last race of the season on October 29, 2006 Rossi crashed on lap 5 trying to make up for a poor start. Hayden won the 2006 title that day by finishing 3rd (9.3s) behind race winner Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi.

2007

Nicky Hayden with number 1 on his motorcycle for the 2007 season

On September 22, 2006, Hayden signed a two-year agreement that allowed for him to race for and develop with the factory Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) team for the 2007 and 2008 MotoGP seasons.[2] He has already begun testing the new 800 cc Honda RC212V. His MotoGP racing number changed from 69 to 1 for the 2007 season.

2007 started and finished badly for Hayden, struggling with performance, and team-mate Dani Pedrosa having showed what the Honda was able to do. A crash at Le Mans dropped him to eleventh in the standings at this stage. However, during testing before Donington, he requested that most of the electronics be switched off and his times improved. His subsequent performance in a wet Donington and a dry Assen showed a slight return to form, challenging for fifth with his trademark sliding and tail-out non-standard lines. However, he ultimately kept crashing, with a pole and 3 podiums but no victories proved to be the 2nd worse defence of a championship ever recorded after Kenny Roberts Jr. The 2007 season also saw the release of an authorized biography on Hayden and his brothers--The Haydens: Nicky, Tommy, & Roger, from OWB to MotoGP—timed to coincide with his return to the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

In 2008, Hayden ran his old number 69 since Casey Stoner earned the right to run the number 1 plate after winning the MotoGP title in 2007.

2008

Donington Park marked the race debut of Honda's pneumatic-valve engine, which only Hayden was using initially. In the next round at Assen, Hayden ran 3rd from the start and was set to finish there until he ran out of fuel at the final corner, due to an electrical system problem which prevented accurate fuel monitoring. Colin Edwards captured Hayden's 3rd place podium moments before Hayden coasted over the line with no power, to finish 4th place.[3] A heel injury sustained in a motocross crash put him out of two rounds.[4] Relations within the team had already deteriorated, and there was further friction when Pedrosa switched tire suppliers midseason (from the struggling Michelin to the dominant Bridgestone) without Hayden being consulted. Hayden stated "I've never been put in the conditions to choose. Once they told me that I would have just wasted my time had I even only thought about asking for Bridgestone tires...I'm not surprised they've given them to him. Besides, at Misano I didn't even have the same fork Dani had... No way would I think they'd let me try the new tires".[5]

This incident lent weight to the rumours that Hayden and Honda would part ways for the next season.[6] The rumour was confirmed on September 12, 2008, when Hayden stated during a Dorna press conference, "It's no secret. Everybody knows where my next stop is going to be...But officially we're waiting to do it the right way, until the releases come out, because there's teams and stuff".[7]

By the middle of 2008 it was strongly suspected by fans, media, and the MotoGP paddock already, and later supported by Hayden's own admission during a press conference that he would be leaving Honda, that Hayden would be joining the Ducati Marlboro Team to ride alongside Casey Stoner for the 2009 MotoGP season. This was confirmed on September 15, 2008[8] thus ending his ten-year relationship with Honda.[9]

Ducati (2009–2013)

2009

During preseason testing, Hayden was plagued with problems and routinely finished mid-pack or lower. His major complaint was that the GP09 was "pumping" during corner exits leading to problems with grip. These problems continued throughout preseason testing.

During qualifying at the season opener Qatar GP, Hayden suffered back and chest injuries in a major crash. Battered and bruised, Hayden finished 12th in the rain-delayed race just behind former team mate Pedrosa.[10] Despite the setbacks, Hayden seemed optimistic about the results saying "I'm leaving here in a really positive mood and looking forward to Motegi."

However, only further disappointment lay in wait for Hayden at Motegi. The Ducati rider had never ridden the bike in the rain and qualified 12th.[11] Then, during the opening lap of the race Hayden was taken out by rookie Yuki Takahashi who plowed through Hayden from the rear. As a result Hayden did not finish the race and slipped further down the standings.[12]

The Jerez GP saw Hayden qualify 16th and finish 15th.[13] On August 30, 2009, Hayden finished 3rd at Indianapolis.

Hayden finished the 2009 MotoGP championship in 13th place (out of 18), his worst result in 7 years of racing MotoGP. His championship campaign was marked by remarkable misfortune, being speared off the track on three different occasions, resulting in no point scoring races. Yuki Takahashi, Alex De Angelis and Jorge Lorenzo crashed into him at Motegi, Misano and Phillip Island respectively.

2010

On September 3, 2009, it was confirmed that Hayden had signed a one-year extension of contract with Ducati for the 2010 MotoGP season, ending speculation of a move away from the team.[14] He will partner Casey Stoner once again at the team.

During the off-season, Hayden had surgery on his right arm, having been suffering from compartmental syndrome or more commonly known as arm-pump.[15]

2011

Hayden during pre-season testing, at Sepang, for the 2011 season

On August 28, 2010, Hayden extended his partnership with Ducati, signing a two-year contract extension with the factory team.[16] He was joined in the team by his former Honda team-mate Valentino Rossi, who also signed a two-year deal,[17] to partner Hayden. Hayden's 2011 season started with a ninth-place finish in Qatar, before he achieved his only podium of the season with a third place at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.[18] Having avoided other incidents that eliminated several front-runners from the race, Hayden was aided by a last-lap[19] mechanical failure for Colin Edwards to take his first podium since the previous year's race in Aragon, where he also finished in third position.

Hayden then finished each of the next ten races inside the points-scoring positions – including a fastest lap during the British Grand Prix, en route to a fourth-place finish – taking top-ten finishes in all bar one race, when he finished fourteenth in his home race at Indianapolis. He finished the race two laps down after making an unscheduled pit stop – having run as high as fifth during the race – after losing grip on his softer-compound Bridgestone front tyre, causing a higher amount of wear to the left-hand side of the tyre itself.[20]

After crashing out at Misano, Hayden recorded three consecutive seventh-place finishes in Aragon, Japan and Australia to maintain his eighth place in the riders' championship. The Malaysian Grand Prix – in which Hayden had qualified sixth for – was cancelled after the death of Marco Simoncelli, before Hayden was eliminated, along with team-mate Rossi, in a four-bike first-corner collision in Valencia.[21] The incident left Hayden with a broken wrist, and was forced to miss post-season testing the following week.[22] He ultimately finished the season eighth in the riders' championship.

2012

Hayden and Rossi remained with Ducati into the 2012 season; Hayden finished each of the first ten races of the season in the points, finishing between sixth and eleventh in the races. At Indianapolis, Hayden had been expecting the best performance to date for the Ducati team, believing it to be well-suited to the track conditions at the circuit.[23] However, Hayden did not take part in the race after suffering an accident at Turn 14 during the qualifying session, trying to improve on his qualifying time at the time. As a result, Hayden suffered a concussion in the process, ruling him out of the race.[24] A fractured right hand also ruled him out of the following race in the Czech Republic.[25]

Although not fully recovered from his injuries, thanks to the support of the official physiotherapist Freddie Dente, Hayden returned for the San Marino Grand Prix,[26] where he finished in seventh position. Hayden failed to finish the Aragon Grand Prix, running wide at the final turn before crashing into a track-side wall at enough speed to launch him over the wall.[27][28] He finished eighth in Japan and Australia, sandwiching a season's best fourth-place finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix. He crashed out of the final race in Valencia,[29] finishing the season ninth in the riders' championship and for the first time in his career, without a podium finish.

2013

For the 2013 season, Hayden was joined in the factory Ducati team by Andrea Dovizioso, who moved from the Tech 3 Yamaha squad to replace Valentino Rossi, who returned to the factory Yamaha setup.[30][31] Hayden had stated that Dovizioso was the "best possible choice" to replace Rossi, prior to him signing a contract.[32]

Return to Honda with the Aspar Team (2014–)

2014

It was announced on October 17, 2013, that after four years with Ducati, Hayden had signed with the Aspar Racing Team for the 2014 season. Hayden partnered Hiroshi Aoyama, who moved from the Avintia Blusens squad,[33] with the pair riding open-specification Honda RCV1000R motorcycles. Hayden did not race at the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello due to a wrist injury, which had lingered since the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez two races earlier.[34] He finished 16th in the final championship standings.

2015

For the 2015 season, Hayden remained with the Drive M7 Aspar team, to ride a new open-specification Honda RC213V-RS. He will be joined in the team by Eugene Laverty, who moved across from the Superbike World Championship.

Racing history

MotoGP

AMA Superbike

AMA 600 Supersport

AMA 750 Superstock

AMA Formula Extreme

Career statistics

Superbike World Championship

By Seasons

Seas Moto Team Race Win Pod Best Pole FLap Pts Plcd WCh
2002 Honda RC51 American Honda 2 0 0 4th 0 0 16 26th  
Total 2 0 0 0 0 16

Races by year

Year Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
2002 Honda ESP ESP AUS AUS RSA RSA JPN JPN ITA ITA GBR GBR GER GER SMR SMR USA
4
USA
13
GBR GBR GER GER NED NED ITA ITA 26th 16

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

By Seasons

Seas Class Moto Team Race Win Pod Best Pole FLap Pts Plcd WCh
2003 MotoGP Honda RC211V Repsol Honda 16 0 2 3rd 0 0 130 5th  
2004 MotoGP Honda RC211V Repsol Honda 15 0 2 3rd 0 0 117 8th  
2005 MotoGP Honda RC211V Repsol Honda 17 1 6 1st 3 2 206 3rd  
2006 MotoGP Honda RC211V Repsol Honda 17 2 10 1st 1 2 252 1st 1
2007 MotoGP Honda RC212V Repsol Honda 18 0 3 3rd 1 1 127 8th  
2008 MotoGP Honda RC212V Repsol Honda 16 0 2 2nd 0 1 155 6th  
2009 MotoGP Ducati GP9 Ducati Marlboro 17 0 1 3rd 0 0 104 13th  
2010 MotoGP Ducati GP10 Ducati Marlboro 18 0 1 3rd 0 0 163 7th  
2011 MotoGP Ducati GP11 Ducati Corse 17 0 1 3rd 0 1 132 8th  
2012 MotoGP Ducati GP12 Ducati Corse 16 0 0 4th 0 0 122 9th  
2013 MotoGP Ducati GP13 Ducati Corse 18 0 0 5th 0 0 126 9th  
2014 MotoGP Honda RCV1000R Drive M7 Aspar 13 0 0 8th 0 0 47 16th  
2015 MotoGP Honda RC213V-RS Aspar MotoGP Team 3 0 0 13th 0 0 3* 18th*  
Total 201 3 28 5 7 1684 1

By class

Class Seas 1st GP 1st Pod 1st Win Race Win Pod Pole FLap Points WCh
MotoGP 2003–Present 2003 Japan 2003 Pacific 2005 United States 201 3 28 5 7 1684 1
Total 2003–Present 201 3 28 5 7 1684 1

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Pts
2003 MotoGP Honda JPN
7
RSA
7
SPA
Ret
FRA
12
ITA
12
CAT
9
NED
11
GBR
8
GER
5
CZE
6
POR
9
BRA
5
PAC
3
MAL
4
AUS
3
VAL
16
5th 130
2004 MotoGP Honda RSA
5
SPA
5
FRA
11
ITA
Ret
CAT
Ret
NED
5
BRA
3
GER
3
GBR
4
CZE
Ret
POR JPN
Ret
QAT
5
MAL
4
AUS
6
VAL
Ret
8th 117
2005 MotoGP Honda SPA
Ret
POR
7
CHN
9
FRA
6
ITA
6
CAT
5
NED
4
USA
1
GBR
Ret
GER
3
CZE
5
JPN
7
MAL
4
QAT
3
AUS
2
TUR
3
VAL
2
3rd 206
2006 MotoGP Honda SPA
3
QAT
2
TUR
3
CHN
2
FRA
5
ITA
3
CAT
2
NED
1
GBR
7
GER
3
USA
1
CZE
9
MAL
4
AUS
5
JPN
5
POR
Ret
VAL
3
1st 252
2007 MotoGP Honda QAT
8
SPA
7
TUR
7
CHN
12
FRA
Ret
ITA
10
CAT
11
GBR
17
NED
3
GER
3
USA
Ret
CZE
3
RSM
13
POR
4
JPN
9
AUS
Ret
MAL
9
VAL
8
8th 127
2008 MotoGP Honda QAT
10
SPA
4
POR
Ret
CHN
6
FRA
8
ITA
13
CAT
8
GBR
7
NED
4
GER
13
USA
5
CZE RSM
DNS
IND
2
JPN
5
AUS
3
MAL
4
VAL
5
6th 155
2009 MotoGP Ducati QAT
12
JPN
Ret
SPA
15
FRA
12
ITA
12
CAT
10
NED
8
USA
5
GER
8
GBR
15
CZE
6
IND
3
RSM
Ret
POR
8
AUS
15
MAL
5
VAL
5
13th 104
2010 MotoGP Ducati QAT
4
SPA
4
FRA
4
ITA
Ret
GBR
4
NED
7
CAT
8
GER
7
USA
5
CZE
6
IND
6
RSM
Ret
ARA
3
JPN
12
MAL
6
AUS
4
POR
5
VAL
Ret
7th 163
2011 MotoGP Ducati QAT
9
SPA
3
POR
9
FRA
7
CAT
8
GBR
4
NED
5
ITA
10
GER
8
USA
7
CZE
7
IND
14
RSM
Ret
ARA
7
JPN
7
AUS
7
MAL
C
VAL
Ret
8th 132
2012 MotoGP Ducati QAT
6
SPA
8
POR
11
FRA
6
CAT
9
GBR
7
NED
6
GER
10
ITA
7
USA
6
IND
DNS
CZE RSM
7
ARA
Ret
JPN
8
MAL
4
AUS
8
VAL
Ret
9th 122
2013 MotoGP Ducati QAT
8
AME
9
SPA
7
FRA
5
ITA
6
CAT
Ret
NED
11
GER
9
USA
8
IND
9
CZE
8
GBR
8
RSM
9
ARA
9
MAL
Ret
AUS
7
JPN
9
VAL
8
9th 126
2014 MotoGP Honda QAT
8
AME
11
ARG
11
SPA
11
FRA
Ret
ITA
DNS
CAT
12
NED
17
GER
14
IND CZE GBR RSM ARA
9
JPN
14
AUS
10
MAL
Ret
VAL
13
16th 47
2015 MotoGP Honda QAT
17
AME
13
ARG
16
SPA
FRA
ITA
CAT
NED
GER
IND
CZE
GBR
RSM
ARA
JPN
AUS
MAL
VAL
18th* 3*

Personal

References

  1. Motorcycle-USA Staff. Nicky Hayden Bio. Motorcycle-USA.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
  2. Hayden Signs with Honda for Two More Years article from SPEEDtv
  3. Birt, Matthew (June 28, 2008). "Nicky Hayden cruelly denied podium". Motor Cycle News (Bauer Media Group). Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  4. "Hayden explains decision to sit out San Marino race". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). August 31, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  5. Lostia, Michele; Elizalde, Pablo (September 10, 2008). "Hayden hints at Ducati deal". Autosport (Haymarket Publications). Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  6. Cavin, Curt; Ballard, Steve (September 12, 2008). "Hayden's bumpy Honda ride nears end". The Indianapolis Star (Michael G. Kane; Gannett Company). Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  7. "Nicky Hayden Talks About Rumored Switch To Marlboro Ducati In 2009". Roadracing World (Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.). September 12, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  8. "Hayden To Join Ducati In 2009". SuperbikePlanet.com. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  9. "Repsol: Honda & Hayden To Say Farewell". SuperbikePlanet.com. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  10. McNeil, Chris. MotoGP 2009 Qatar Results. Motorcycle-USA.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
  11. Madson, Bart. MotoGP 2009 Motegi Qualifying. Motorcycle-USA.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
  12. Madson, Bart. MotoGP 2009 Motegi Results. Motorcycle-USA.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
  13. Madson, Bart. MotoGP 2009 Jerez Results. Motorcycle-USA.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-16.
  14. "Hayden agrees 2010 Ducati deal". Insidebikes. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  15. English, Steven (2010-02-11). "Hayden has surgery on right arm". autosport.com (Haymarket Publications). Retrieved 2010-02-11.
  16. Beer, Matt (August 29, 2010). "Hayden gets two more years at Ducati". Autosport (Haymarket Publications). Archived from the original on August 31, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  17. "Valentino Rossi to leave Yamaha for Ducati in 2011". BBC Sport (BBC). August 15, 2010. Archived from the original on August 26, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  18. Birt, Matthew (April 4, 2011). "Nicky Hayden grateful for third". Motor Cycle News (Bauer Media Group). Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  19. Birt, Matthew (April 4, 2011). "Colin Edwards robbed of podium". Motor Cycle News (Bauer Media Group). Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  20. Birt, Matthew (August 29, 2011). "Nicky Hayden frustrated in home race". Motor Cycle News (Bauer Media Group). Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  21. "Ducati Team out of Valencia GP in Turn one". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). November 6, 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  22. "Nicky Hayden diagnosed with broken wrist". Crash.net (Crash Media Group). November 8, 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  23. Beer, Matt (August 14, 2012). "Nicky Hayden expects Ducati to prosper and score best result of MotoGP season at Indianapolis". Autosport (Haymarket Publications). Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  24. "Nicky Hayden out of Indianapolis MotoGP". Crash.net (Crash Media Group). August 18, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  25. "Nicky Hayden to miss Brno". Crash.net (Crash Media Group). August 21, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  26. "Half-healed Hayden back for Misano". Crash.net (Crash Media Group). September 11, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  27. "Crash throws Nicky Hayden over wall at Aragon MotoGP". BBC Sport (BBC). September 30, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  28. Beer, Matt (September 30, 2012). "Nicky Hayden unhurt in crash". Autosport (Haymarket Publications). Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  29. "Pedrosa wins dramatic Valencian GP as Stoner says goodbye". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). November 11, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  30. "Ducati confirm Andrea Dovizioso signing". BBC Sport (BBC). August 22, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  31. "Valentino Rossi to leave Ducati and rejoin Yamaha". BBC Sport (BBC). August 10, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  32. Birt, Matthew (August 16, 2012). "Dovizioso good choice for Ducati, says Hayden". Motor Cycle News (Bauer Media Group). Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  33. "Aspar with Honda and Hayden for 2014-15". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  34. "MOTOGP: WRIST INJURY FORCES HAYDEN OUT OF MUGELLO RACE". Foxsports.com. Fox Entertainment Group. May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nicky Hayden.


Preceded by
Steve Crevier
AMA Supersport 600 Champion
1999
Succeeded by
Kurtis Roberts
Preceded by
Mat Mladin
AMA Superbike Champion
2002
Succeeded by
Mat Mladin
Preceded by
Valentino Rossi
MotoGP Motorcycle World Champion
2006
Succeeded by
Casey Stoner