Nicky Hayden

Nicky Hayden


PERSONAL DETAILS
NAME: NICKY HAYDEN
TEAM: REPSOL HONDA TEAM
NATIONALITY: AMERICAN
DATE OF BIRTH: 30/07/1981
MARRIED: SINGLE

Nicky Hayden may have failed to win a race while wearing the number one plate during 2007, but many believe the Repsol Honda rider actually rode harder than the previous year as he worked relentlessly to make the new RC212V competitive.

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.

Hayden joined the Repsol Honda Team during his debut 2003 MotoGP season, having demonstrated his immense talent in the United States by becoming the youngest ever AMA Superbike Champion at 21. Prior to that 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.

Nicky's first MotoGP season, teamed with Valentino Rossi, saw him fend off the likes of Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards to clinch the Rookie of the Year title as two podiums carried him to fifth in the points.

But 2004 was to be much tougher. Rossi (and his mechanics) had moved to Yamaha, leaving Hayden to inherit the role of team leader as HRC regrouped. Two podiums and eighth in the championship was way below expectations, but Nicky finally broke his duck with an emotional victory at his home US GP at Laguna Seca 2005 as he climbed back up to third in the standings.

2006 was one of the most extraordinary seasons of grand prix action ever seen and the 25-year-old displayed all his reserves of talent and determination to clinch the championship during a 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 – and behind Rossi no less.

During the first half of 2006 Hayden had built up a substantial lead in the standings by 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, aided by Rossi's unexpected mistake at the season finale.

"This proves that good things happen to good people," Nicky declared after taking the title in Valencia. Hayden’s flood of emotions as he clinched that dramatic 2006 MotoGP crown will go down as one of the all-time memorable images of motorcycling.

2007 brought the fresh challenge of the 800cc era and a brand new machine in the shape of the RC212V. Ready to adapt his rear-wheel-steering style to the higher corner speeds and reduced power outputs, Hayden was determined to mount a robust defence of his title, but it wasn't to be.

During a year when Casey Stoner, Ducati and Bridgestone destroyed all before them, it took Hayden until mid-season to look comfortable on the Michelin-shod RC212V. Three podiums and one pole position followed, but the title was long gone.

Hayden will now hope that Honda and Michelin have learnt from the painful lessons of 2007 and can "come out swinging" for 2008.


Career Highlights:

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. 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
2007 : 8th MotoGP World Championship

END OF 2007.
STARTS: N/A
WINS: 3
POLES: 5
FASTEST LAPS: 5
POINTS: N/A
DEBUT: SUZUKA 2003.
DRIVEN FOR: REPSOL HONDA TEAM (2003 - 2008)

Positive finish with Honda Hayden´s main objective
Wednesday, 15 October 2008

Before his last two races as a Honda rider Nicky Hayden thanked HRC for their support and stated his desire to leave Repsol Honda on a positive note.


Having hit a patch of good form following his return from injury and with an exciting switch to Ducati Marlboro ahead of him, Nicky Hayden is in a highly positive frame of mind at present.

Up to sixth in the World Championship classification on the back of his recent run (second at Indianapolis, fifth at Motegi and third at Phillip Island) Hayden goes into his last two races with Repsol Honda chasing down the man replacing him in the team, Andrea Dovizioso, for a place in the top five in the final standings.

After six seasons with Honda in MotoGP, the 2006 World Champion Hayden wants to remain competitive in his farewell pair of GPs and is grateful for the effort of those around him – especially since bouncing back from his foot injury and since his move to Ducati was announced.

`The last few races have been a lot of fun and made me pretty happy,´ commented Hayden. `We need more, but it´s nice to be competitive. I owe a big thanks to everyone involved – Honda, Michelin and all the guys from Yamano (Repsol Honda team manager) all the way through, because it would have been real easy to fold up on me, but the easy way is just not our style.´

Previewing this weekend´s Polini Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at a venue where his best result is fourth place (achieved three years consecutively from 2004-2006) the American rider stated, `No one can say they don´t know Sepang, it seems like we spend half the year there. Last year we did three tests and a race there, so the nearby airport hotel is like your second home. We spend about four weeks a year there, so you walk in and it´s scary because the people know you! Sepang is a great track. I like it, our bike has been running good, and you need a bike that´s running fast there.´

I hope Nicky is on the podium for the next races..

Give Honda the up yours they deserve

Yeah me too. He's been treated pretty poorly by them.

Nicky Hayden has hit back at Alberto Puig

Nicky Hayden hits back at Alberto Puig attack
By Matthew Birt

MotoGP

16 October 2008 12:53


Nicky Hayden has hit back at fierce criticism from Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa’s manager Alberto Puig in Malaysia today.

Outspoken Puig launched an incredible attack on Hayden last week, claiming the American copied Pedrosa’s machine settings and belittled his performances, even when he won the 2006 MotoGP world title.

Although reluctant to get into a public slanging match with Puig, Hayden couldn’t resist responding to the stinging criticism as he prepares for his penultimate race as Pedrosa’a team-mate in Sepang this weekend.

Hayden refuted suggestions that he can’t set up or develop a bike and that he relies heavily on coping the former double world 250 champion’s settings.

“Some of the stuff he says is a joke about sharing data and that's why I'm mad. I haven't seen his data for a long time. The truth is he sees everybody's data, so lets be clear about that. If it's me going fastest or (Andrea) Dovizioso going fastest, he sees everything."

Puig’s comments were apparently responding to an interview Hayden did with Madrid-based newspaper El Pais recently, which is one of Spain’s biggest national newspapers.

Hayden said: “It certainly seemed to ruffle a few feathers but I'm not really wanting to go back and have a cat fight back and forth with this guy and defend against everything he said. I’m not even sure what I said but I did say Puig basically runs our team, he runs HRC at the moment and I really believe that and I stand by that.

"I do think (Kazuhika) Yamano, our team manager, has done a great job. That guy is in a tough, tough spot and I know he's got a lot of heat coming at him from all directions, so that's basically what I said. I need to quit being a hypocrite I guess."

Hayden also denied rubbishing Pedrosa over his controversial move to Bridgestone tyres immediately after the Misano race in early September.

And he said he was untroubled by the dividing wall that splits the Repsol Honda garage since the switch, which Puig had said Hayden was upset about.

"That wall I couldn't care less about. It doesn't even faze me one little bit, said Hayden, who has claimed two podiums in the three races since Pedrosa quit Michelin.

Poor Nicky!!
I'm glad he's out!

He needs to be with a team that will let him be competitive, that isnt honda. i dont know if it is ducati or not but he cant be any worse off than he is now!

I hope he does well on the Ducati and gives Stoner something to worry about. Hopefully he wont suffer like poor Melandri has.

i think because nicky's background in riding is similar to casey's, he will do better than melandri. but lets face it, i could do better than melandri, just kidding

MotoGP » Hayden: We've got to keep it rolling.
Friday, 24th October 2008

Nicky Hayden fastest in both Friday free practice sessions at a wet Valencia.

Nicky Hayden began his final weekend as a Honda MotoGP rider in spectacular style at Valencia on Friday, when he blasted to the top of both free practice sessions in slippery conditions at the Spanish circuit.

Unsurprisingly for the last race of the wettest grand prix season in living memory, both of today's sessions were run in the rain.

This morning's outing was the wettest, conditions improving slightly this afternoon, with less surface water on the track, which allowed Hayden to better his first session time by almost two seconds and end the day just 0.087sec clear of Bridgestone-shod team-mate Dani Pedrosa.

"It was pretty soggy out there, just rain all day. The bike, the team, everything was on point today, now we've just got to keep it rolling, because nobody's going to remember who was quickest Friday come Sunday night," warned Nicky, who will make his Ducati Marlboro debut on Monday.

"The bike and tyres and everything worked pretty good straight away today. We've been using basically the same rain settings I've been using since Sachsenring, they've worked at different tracks and they're working good here, though this track doesn't have a lot of grip, so to go any faster we need to sweeten it up a bit.

"I like being fastest and if it means staying wet all weekend then that would be fine for me, but honestly I hope it dries up. It's going to be a hard weekend, just trying to stay on top, everybody's pushing hard, but we're off to a good start and I'm having fun.

"If it dries up tomorrow we don't think finding a set-up should be too difficult, because the last couple of races we've been using relatively the same settings. The main thing is going to be tyre choice, that's going to be real tough, because there's not going to be much dry time, but it's the same for everybody," he concluded, winless since the 2006 season and without a pole since 2007.

"Nicky did a very good job today, he and his crew found a good set-up very quickly, so they could be fastest in both sessions," added team manager Kazuhiko Yamano. "Michelin tyres are working very well here in these difficult conditions. The latest weather forecast suggests that conditions will improve tomorrow, so Nicky and his team will have to come up with a dry setting, working towards the race on Sunday."

Go nicky

hope he gets on the podium..

Nicky Hayden confident after Ducati debut
By Matthew Birt

MotoGP

28 October 2008 11:05


American Nicky Hayden believes he can tame Ducati’s GP9 and crush the belief that only Casey Stoner can master the V4 machine.

Get all the latest MotoGP news
Hayden’s long-waited debut for the Bologna factory ended with him claiming the 12th fastest time as he posted a best of 1.33.960 to finish in front of Sete Gibernau and Niccolo Canepa.

His time was 1.496s off the hugely impressive Stoner, who dominated the opening day of winter testing in Valencia yesterday.

The 27-year-old, who spent his entire premier class year in Honda’s official factory team, said: “I enjoyed it. I didn’t feel alien on the bike. I didn’t feel like I needed to tell them we got to have new handlebars and footpegs. But, sure, I have a lot of work to do. It’s not like I can call my dad and say, 'Hey everything is okay. You can let the dogs out. We’re cool.'

"You’re not going to find me over there climbing up one of these tall buildings for a place to jump just yet either. It’s what I expected. I didn’t expect it was going to be easy and I didn’t expect it to be disastrous.

Obviously I’ve got a lot of work to do. I enjoyed the bike. There’s a lot of potential there. It is going take a lot get it out of it.”

Hayden did one run on the GP8 machine before he started testing the carbon fibre framed GP9, which was painted in a special Stars and Stripes paint scheme for the Kentucky rider.

Although he admitted he was nervous about his debut, Hayden said he been excited about the prospect of joining Aussie Stoner, who has won 16 races in 36 appearances for Ducati.

“Usually when you have to test on Monday after a race you have a hard time dragging yourself out of bed, but this was different. I’ve been waiting for this. I did one run on the GP8, just to get a feel for it and to get my impression of the two bikes, “said Hayden, who was impressed with the engine performance of the Ducati.

He added: “One of the things that really impressed me was the acceleration. I found myself pretty comfortable on the bike, and I really didn't make a lot of changes to levers and handlebars.”

The test also gave Hayden the opportunity to get a taste of Bridgestone’s tyres and he said: “I tested with just two compounds, a soft and medium front and a medium and hard rear, and we didn’t have any trouble.

"I did about 30 laps on one rear and it was almost as good at the end as at the beginning. Of course, I’m two seconds off and when you get down to the real pace you find out a lot more, but I liked what I tried."

http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/189081/changes-in-just-a-blink-of-an-eye.jhtml#id=1573916


a good video off nicky you should see this video made me like him even more can u see what parts made me like him more

tammerz wrote:strudl, love the avatar

I was just gonna say the same thing. James dont really do it for me but phew! he looks nice in that pic

HEHE thanks i just love it i love the fact that he has frekles on his chest as well even though some people dont like it i love it

Wow Trudi your avatar is switz swooooo

valegirl46 wrote:Wow Trudi your avatar is switz swooooo

thanks valegirl look on JTpics u will see more u like hehe

Schwantz casts expert eye over Hayden´s 2008 season


Friday, 07 November 2008
motogp.com

1993 MotoGP World Champion looks back over 2006 titlist´s most recent year in the premier class

One of the American predecessors to Nicky Hayden´s 2006 triumph, MotoGP Legend Kevin Schwantz was an ideal candidate for the task of assessing his stateside successor´s 2008 season.

The Texan praised Hayden´s attitude in his final season as a Honda rider, and predicted good things for the next chapter of his career, as a factory Ducati man.

`Nicky´s season started a bit `up and down´… actually it was a bit more down than up,´ recalls Schwantz. `When the new (pneumatic valve engine) showed up then his form picked up a bit, but he still wasn´t quite where he needed to be.´
After some hard races against some tough rivals with the new bike, Hayden began to pick up form. There were more difficulties to come, however, when an extra-curricular two-wheel tumble threw a further spanner into the works. Schwantz knows all-too-well how taxing riding with an injury can be, and noted the particular problems presented by Hayden´s fractured heel.

`In the summer break Nicky decided to go to the ESPN X Games and play around, and he ends up injured,´ recalls the 1993 champ. `It´s hard to come back from that; as light on your feet as you need to be on these bikes, it´s never easy.´
Injuries aside, the final third of the year saw the `Kentucky Kid´ picking up his best results of the season, something that Schwantz feels was a just reward for his exemplary conduct and effort.

`It seems like his attitude has been really, really good. He wants to stay focused on having (Dani) Pedrosa behind him as much as possible. What I´m sure he is looking forward to is having a new bike and a team where his input is processed a little bit to make things better for him.´

Hayden featured in Men´s Fitness magazine
Tuesday, 25 November 2008

Ducati rider´s training workload and career covered in U.S. monthly.



2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden has become a regular in the U.S. press this year, and not just in the racing media. The American has been featured in the likes of mainstream magazines Vogue and Esquire in 2008, and his latest appearance on the newsstands comes in the stateside edition of Men´s Fitness.

In the two-page feature of the December/January issue Hayden speaks about the demands of 800cc riding and his eagerness to regain the premier class title. His trainer, Aldon Baker also reveals the training schedule undertaken by the 27 year-old.

Seven days of cardiovascular work are combined with three strength workouts and the intriguing addition of power yoga, with the intention of giving Hayden strength in the unorthodox position adopted when riding. This is a serious workload when added to his testing and competing schedule, especially considering the marathon sessions undertaken on track by `the hardest working rider in MotoGP´.

`Stick and ball athletes don´t really think of us as athletes, which is a shame,´ says `The Kentucky Kid´. `Fitness makes a big difference on the bike; When you´re tired you start making mistakes, and when you fall off these bikes it don´t exactly tickle!´

Hayden is putting his training into practice this week at the MotoGP Official Test in Jerez. Men´s Fitness magazine is available on newsstands now.

Nicky Hayden ‘not thrilled’ by tenth
By Matthew Birt

MotoGP

26 November 2008 18:02


American Nicky Hayden conceded he had little to be thrilled about as he finished the opening day of testing in Jerez with the tenth quickest time.

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Making his second appearance on the new carbon fibre chassis Ducati GP9, the 27-year-old clocked a best time of 1.42.098 to finish 2.573s adrift of former Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa.

Get the latest news from the Jerez test
Rookie Niccolo Canepa was 0.024s faster than the 2006 world champion as he clocked 69 laps with injured team-mate Casey Stoner evaluating his performance from trackside.

“I know I’ve got a lot of work to do and obviously I need to go a lot faster, “Hayden told MCN in the back of the Ducati truck tonight. “I feel fast but I’m definitely not thrilled by the times.

"The lap times were quite slow to be honest and I’m not happy to be so far off the pace and be where I am but I never expected it to click and just happen overnight. It is early days yet and I’m not too worried. Hopefully it will come.”

Hayden was at least delighted with the performance of the new Jerez track surface, which was laid in August.

“The track is unbelievable at the moment. It is really smooth and that has helped make the bike not feel anywhere near as loose as it did in Valencia. The track was in great shape once we cleaned the line and it warmed up.

"Some of these tracks when they have been resurfaced, by the time we get there you can see patches and sealer but it is really smooth. They have taken out some of the big bumps too which shows they have done a great job, because sometimes it is hard to completely take out the big, big bumps.”

Hayden said he planned to sit down and talk about his progress with Aussie team-mate Stoner tonight. Stoner is in the early stages of a three-month recovery from a major right wrist operation, but he was in Jerez.

Hayden added: “I’ll sit down with Casey and have a chat and ask him what he’s seeing out there. That kind of stuff always helps. But to actually compare his data is difficult because of the new surface.”

MotoGP » Hayden happy with feeling, needs speed.
Wednesday, 26th November 2008

New factory Ducati signing Nicky Hayden tenth fastest on day one of MotoGP testing at Jerez.


Nicky Hayden's third day as a Ducati and Bridgestone rider saw the 2006 MotoGP world champion set the tenth fastest lap time, out of 14 riders, at the start of the Jerez test.

Appropriately, Hayden completed 69 laps of the resurfaced Spanish GP track, and claimed to be happy with the feeling from his Desmosedici, whilst acknowledging that he was 'clearly off the pace'.

Jerez was a particularly tough track for the 2008 Desmosedici - Hayden's new team-mate Casey Stoner leading the Ducati challenge in eleventh on race day in April - and that trend continued with the GP9 on Wednesday, when the top Ducati rider was Alice's Niccolo Canepa.
Former Ducati test rider Canepa was one place and 0.024sec in front of Hayden, but over 2.5sec from Hayden's former Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa.

"It has been nice to get back on the bike and get on with the job in decent conditions," said Hayden, referring to rain on day two of the previous Valencia test. "The new surface is perfect, the bumps have disappeared and the grip improved with every lap. They've done a great job here at Jerez.

"I'm quite happy with my feeling with the bike. The lap times came down with virtually every outing and that's positive, even though I'm still clearly a good way off the pace.

"We've got a lot of work ahead but the team is really close and we know that bike has the potential, so all we can do is keep working. Both tyre specs that we tried today worked well, although the softer one was obviously the preferable option in these temperatures.

"They've got no problem in terms of durability and I'm slowly starting to get used to the feeling the Bridgestones give back. Hopefully the good weather continues tomorrow," concluded Nicky.

Jerez test: Nicky Hayden thrilled at big improvement
By Matthew Birt

MotoGP

28 November 2008 10:00


American Nicky Hayden went into the long winter break in bullish mood after he clocked the sixth best time on the final day of testing in Jerez.

The 2006 world champion had cut a dejected figure in the paddock at the end of a tough opening day that left him languishing down in 10th and a massive 2.5s off the pace.

Get the latest news from the Jerez test
The former factory Honda rider though managed to slash his lap time by 1.5s yesterday as he clocked a best of 1.40.486 that left him quickest Ducati rider.

Get all the latest MotoGP news
It also eased fears that Hayden might also struggle to adapt to the Ducati, which has previously left the likes of Loris Capirossi, Alex Barros and Marco Melandri flummoxed.

Watched again by injured 2007 world champion and team-mate Casey Stoner, Hayden completed 70 laps and he ended just a fraction over a second outside of Valentino Rossi’s quickest of 1.39.429.

The relief was written all over Hayden’s face and he told MCN: “I really needed today. I needed to have a back-to-back day where I could really get my head down and find the limit.

"In Valencia it had rained on the second day and when I saw those clouds coming in today I thought it was going to be tough. If I’d have left for nearly three months off the bike on the back of yesterday, it wouldn’t have been much of a Christmas. But we made a big step and I felt more comfortable and more importantly a lot faster.

"I feel like I’m getting to the find the limit of the Bridgestone front now but that said I still need a second. But it is nice to see some big progress and know we are moving in the right direction. Chasing that last second is always going to be tough but I’m ready to work at it.”

Hayden also paid tribute to Stoner, who attended the test at the request of Ducati to give his trackside impressions of the GP9.

The Aussie is sidelined until 2009 after he underwent an operation to repair a damaged left wrist that he first injured back in 2003.

“I’m really grateful to him for doing that because I’ve not exactly been used to that kind of stuff recently,“ said Hayden, who had a non-existent relationship with Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa. “He could have easily been sat at home all warm with his feet up on the sofa, but he stood out in the cold trying to help me and Ducati.”

MotoGP » Hayden: We've made a big improvement.
Thursday, 27th November 2008

Nicky Hayden finds 1.6sec to leave Jerez test fifth fastest out of the 14 riders.

Nicky Hayden advanced from tenth to joint fifth during day two of the Jerez test, as the American concluded his second outing for Ducati one-second from Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa, but just 0.022sec from third fastest Jorge Lorenzo.

The 2006 world champion lowered his best lap time by 1.6sec during his fourth day on Bridgestone tyres and was the fastest of the five Desmosedici riders present in Spain - factory team-mate Casey Stoner being unable to ride due to recent wrist surgery.

"We've made a big improvement today," said Nicky. "It was important to have back-to-back days with similar conditions because at Valencia we only had one dry day and we weren't able to check that the changes we made to the bike overnight had worked.
"Today my feeling with the bike was much better from the first run and it is important that we've taken over a second and a half off my best time from yesterday.

"We are still a second off the top guys and I know the last second is the most difficult to find but at the same time we're less than a tenth off third fastest and the team is working well, I feel more and more comfortable with the bike and tyres and I can head home with a clear mind.

"I was pleased that Casey wanted to be here at the test," said Hayden of Stoner's presence as a spectator. "It has been useful to speak with him and Filippo [Preziosi] and it shows how tight the team is and how well everybody wants to do next season! I just want to finish by saying 'Happy Thanksgiving' to everybody in America!"

Hayden's next on-track appointment will be the first test of 2009 at Sepang in Malaysia from February 5-7, when 2007 world champion Stoner aims to make his return.