Nicholas Patrick Hayden - The Kentucky Kid

Nicky Hayden yang bernama asli Nicholas Patrick Hayden; lahir di Owensboro, Kentucky, Amerika Serikat, 30 Agustus 1981; umur 35 tahun adalah seorang pembalap MotoGP berkewarganegaraan Amerika Serikat. Ia mulai pindah ke ajang MotoGP pada tahun 2003, setelah sebelumnya menjuarai AMA Superbike (American Motorsport Associaation Superbike) pada tahun 2002. Pada musim pertamanya di MotoGP, pembalap berjuluk “Kentucky kid” ini menjadi rekan satu tim Valentino Rossi di tim Repsol Honda. Di akhir musim kompetisi 2003 ini, ia ada di peringkat ke 5.

Pada musim 2004, pembalap yang identik dengan nomor start 69 ini masih bergabung bersama tim yang sama namun dengan partner yang berbeda, ia menjadi rekan satu tim Alex Barros. Di musim 2004 ia berada di peringkat 8 klasemen akhir. Pada musim MotoGP 2005 ia berpartner dengan Max Biaggi di tim Repsol Honda dan prestasinya meningkat menjadi di posisi 3 klasemen akhir. Musim 2006 ia berduet dengan pendatang baru Daniel Pedrosa, masih dalam tim Repsol Honda. Pada musim balap 2006 ini ia berhasil merebut gelar juara dunia dari juara dunia lima kali, Valentino Rossi. Meskipun dengan jumlah juara seri lebih sedikit dari Rossi dan mick dohan.

Mantan pebalap MotoGP asal Amerika Serikat, Nicky Hayden, mengalami kecelakaan serius saat berada di Rimini, Italia, Rabu (17/5/2017). Hayden ditabrak sebuah mobil Peugeot ketika sedang bersepeda bersama 14 orang rekannya. Saat tertabrak, tubuh Hayden langsung terpental lalu jatuh di atas mobil hingga memecahkan kaca bagian depan. Akibat kecelakaan tersebut, Hayden mengalami cedera di bagian dada dan mengalami trauma kepala. Pebalap 35 tahun itu kemudian dibawa ke rumah sakit terdekat dengan mobil ambulans untuk mendapatkan perawatan intensif. Hayden berada di Italia setelah menjalani seri kelima balapan World Superbike (WSBK) di Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, 13-14 Mei.


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. A few days after competing in the 2017 World Superbike Round at Imola, he was involved in a serious accident after being hit by a car whilst out cycling near Rimini (Italy) on 17th May 2017, suffering head and chest trauma. He was transferred to a local hospital where his condition was described as serious.

Hayden was born in Owensboro, Kentucky. He started road racing with the CMRA, often against racers many times older. Hayden would often start races from the back of the grid because a family or crew member would have to hold his bike upright as his feet would not yet 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). 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."