SO LONG NICKY…
It’s with great sadness that we’re here in 2017, paying tribute to former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden, following his untimely passing away. As most will know by now, Nicky left us not through an incident doing what he loved most, racing motorcycles, but through a prang on the road while training on his push bike.
The ins and outs of exactly what transpired on that fateful day in May matter little really, the weight of the loss is measured only in exactly what’s now missing from motorcycle racing – one of the genuine good guys – and that hangs heavy on the soul. We can only imagine what his family is going through, never mind his team, theWSB and MotoGP paddock, plus fans the world over.
Yet we’ve always felt it more fitting to celebrate a life lived to the full when this kind of thing occurs, and Nicky lived, breathed and bled motorcycles since he was a little kid. His rise through the ranks in the US of A was impressive as he worked his way all the way up to the AMA Superbike class, which he won in 2002.
He was so well thought-of by that point, and the American market so important to Honda, that he was slung straight into the top factory Repsol MotoGP squad. The chances of that happening to a national Superbike champion today is virtually nil, and even then was a rather rare occurrence.
And Honda were patient with him, too, while he found his way around the world and the (then) new four-stroke MotoGP machines. He stumbled at times, but Honda kept the faith and in 2005 he finished third in the series while also taking his first ever win at Laguna Seca, his home round.
He would repeat the same victory in 2006, and took another win in a dramatic race in Assen, but his consistency was remarkable and he led the series for many months. In fact, he looked odds on to win the title easily until he was cruelly taken out by his own team-mate, Dani Pedrosa, at the penultimate Estoril race.
The entire world thought it game over, and that Valentino Rossi would win at the last race in Valencia securing yet another title. Then, incredibly, Rossi crashed at turn two on the first lap, Hayden did what he needed and won the prize he’d wanted all of his life – to actually be MotoGP champion.
It wasn’t a popular victory for Nicky, but that matters not, he was champion and had broken the Rossi hegemony. However he managed it, if you weren’t impressed by that feat alone (even grudgingly), given Rossi’s dominance, you need to take a really hard look at yourself in the mirror. Yes, even now…
Of course, following that incredible title win, success was hard to come by for Nicky. He remained with Honda for another couple of seasons, though they were concentrating on Pedrosa by then. He signed with Ducati for 2009 and remained with them for five seasons, scoring three podiums. By this point he’d almost become a GP journeyman – solid, dependable, great for the series but no longer a front runner. This continued when he joined Aspar’s private Honda squad, but on uncompetitive machinery Hayden could do little but make up the numbers.
Then in late 2015 he announced his move to WSB with Ten Kate Honda, a rebirth, and at Sepang in 2016 Hayden stood on the top step of a world series rostrum once again, basically an entire decade on since he’d last managed that feat. Much like breaking Rossi’s stranglehold in 2006, Hayden was the only man to break WSB’s Kawasaki/Ducati victory sweep.
It was a hugely popular win, there wasn’t anybody who wasn’t super chuffed for the guy.
By this point, everyone knew what a fantastic bloke he was, and what a wonderful ambassador for the sport he’d always been even when not in the limelight.
It still doesn’t quite seem real that he’s no longer here, the man was an absolute pleasure to deal with whenever we were in his company. He’d always be happy to chat, even way back when he was on the top of the world he’d make the time to chew the fat. He will be sorely missed by us and the racing world, and we can only offer our most heartfelt condolences to his team and his family. So long, Nicky…