Nicky Hayden, MotoGP World Champion in 2006, has passed away due to injuries suffered in a cycling accident. He was 35 years old. Hayden was seriously injured in a collision with a car whilst out training in Rimini, Italy on May 17.
Born Nicholas Patrick Hayden in Owensboro, Kentucky, US in July, 1981, he was born into a motorcycle racing family, and began his career riding dirt track from a young age. In 1999, he won his first major championship, the AMA Supersport, garnering the titles for AMA Pro Athlete and Flat Track Rookie of the Year in the process.
In 2002, the Hayden family stood proud as he, together with brothers Tommy and Roger, made it a family hat-trick at the Springfield TT. The same year, Hayden grabbed the AMA Superbike Championship, and made his move to the top-flight of motorcycle racing, MotoGP.
Picking up the moniker “Kentucky Kid”, Hayden’s debut was an outstanding success, being named MotoGP Rookie of the Year. In 2005, Hayden took his first MotoGP win in front of a home crowd at Laguna Seca. The following year, an intense rivalry began with Valentino Rossi, who, at the time, had a five-in-a-row world championship winning streak.
Hayden ended Rossi’s winning streak in a hard fought battle for points right down to the wire at the final grand prix in Valencia, Spain. After 13 seasons in MotoGP riding for Honda and Ducati, Hayden made the switch to World Superbikes (WSBK) in 2016 with the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team, winning at Sepang in WSBK’s final appearance in Malaysia.
He also tried his hand in the movie business, standing in for Daniel Craig in the James Bond movie “Skyfall”. Hayden rode a stunt motorcycle across the rooftops of Istanbul, Turkey, in a chase scene that culminated with him crashing through the roof of the Grand Bazaar.
Earning the respect of his peers, Hayden was universally liked in the MotoGP and WSBK paddocks, with messages of support and well wishes pouring in when news of his accident broke. Rossi expressed his admiration for Hayden in a Twitter post, saying, “Nicky is one of the best friends I’ve ever had in the paddock.”
Oh dear……RIP.
RIP dude.
RIP.
All motogp rider is my hero, they are brave and precise.
BTW, rider no 6 on the grid in the photo is not Nicky Hayden, it is his teammate Stefan Bradl. Nicky’s number is 69.
Bro, there were a total of 20 photos of which 19 belong to Nick/Bike but U saw one No6 on the article. Your eyes are “sharp” man.
Only Nicky broke the 5-in-a-row world championship winning streak of Rossi says a lot about Hayden.
In his heydays, he & Rossi gave Moto GP fans value for $$$ entertainment in racing. All i can say is RIP Nicky. My condolence to his family.
Cycling is more dangerous then racing the MotoGP…
Unfortunately it’s a YES. Especially on public roads and highways. Malaysia have very few dedicated bicycle tracks. That’s one reason I gave up cycling almost entirely.
depends on fate..u read book also can die
In a racetrack you are among professionals and in controlled environments with lots of safety checks and contingencies. On the road，you are dealing with mat rempits and kopi o license holders and idiots who are trying to put on makeups, not to mention port holes.
we complain when a car only give 2 airbags. What are the chances for cyclist?
RIP Nicky. You were awesome.
Irony of ironies…Micheal Schumarcher is in a coma due to a ski accident, after winnging 8 world F1 titles.
Likewise Nicky won numerous races in his life but finally lost his life in a bicycle accident.
At least champion cyclist Scaponi lived and died on his bicycle.
That’s life.
Another Honda Hero go to another world, today is not a good day, I miss Daijiroh 74, Simone 58 and Nickey 69, you are my hero.
Thought that detail about Nicky Hayden in Skyfall didn’t seem right. Nicky is good but not a stunt man neither an off-road specialist. I remembered the last short movie about ‘The making of Skyfall’ and the motorcycle stunt work on the rooftops of Istanbul was a certain off road rider by the name of Robbie Madison.
That snippet of information was taken from the official Red Bull media site.