The ‘Kentucky Kid’ may have left the world, but he is not forgotten by the MotoGP community

Born in Kentucky on 30 July 1981, Nicky Hayden always had a passion for motorcycles and racing. At a tender age, he proved himself on the dirt track by winning the AMA series and the SuperSport championship in 1999. The racer from Kentucky also won the Superbike title in 2002, and by doing so, he became the youngest rider in the world to win that title. His heroics in the motorsport world earned him a ticket to MotoGP as Honda signed him to be the teammate of Valentino Rossi.

Throughout his MotoGP career, Hayden picked up podium finishes on numerous occasions and a MotoGP World Championship title in 2006. After retiring from MotoGP in 2015, he joined the Superbike World Championship. Sadly, the ‘Kentucky Kid’ passed away in 2017 at 35 when he was cycling and a Peugeot car struck him at 70 kmph. After struggling in the hospital for five days, Hayden succumbed to his injuries. As a tribute to the late racer, we’ve compiled some of his iconic moments in this article.

A lift to Rossi- Years back, Nicky and Valentino were teammates for the Ducati Team. During a Red Bull US Grand Prix, Valentino Rossi failed to control his motorcycle at a chicane and crashed. When the chequered flag was waved, Nicky Hayden reached the spot with his motorcycle and picked up Valentino Rossi. We can say that Nicky was not just giving him a ride but was passing on a legacy.

His first win- In 2005, Nicky Hayden won his first race in front of the home fans at the Red Bull US Grand Prix (Laguna Seca). Riding the Honda Repsol #69 motorcycle, Hayden picked up the win and said, “Laguna 2005 was like a dream for me because everything worked perfectly.”

Taking the Ice Bucket Challenge- A few years ago when the Ice Bucket Challenge turned into a popular trend, Nicky’s video went viral as he was seen accepting the challenge with his father. In the video, Nicky and his father were spotted driving a convertible car out of the garage as friends and family poured ice-cold water on them from the first floor of the house.

After Nicky’s untimely demise, his number #69 was retired from MotoGP as a tribute to the late racer.