Seven years ago today the world of motorcycle racing lost one of its brightest stars.
On May 22, 2017, former AMA Superbike Champion and former MotoGP World Champion Nicholas Patrick “Nicky” Hayden succumbed to the massive head and chest injuries he suffered on May 17, 2017, when he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle on a road near the Misano Circuit, in Italy. He was 35.
Since Hayden’s death, Dorna has retired his competition number 69 from use in the MotoGP World Championship; the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has inducted him into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and renamed its Horizon Award to be the Nicky Hayden Horizon Award; Hayden’s hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky, has erected a bronze statue in his honor; and Hayden’s family has established the Nicky Hayden Memorial Fund, which is doing charitable work to benefit children in Owensboro, Kentucky.
Immediately after Hayden’s death in 2017, fellow racers, fans, friends, and family sent in tributes and memories of Hayden. Below are links to those tributes and memories.
Rest in peace, Nicky Hayden.
https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/nicky-hayden-remembering-a-true-racer/
https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/nicky-hayden-to-be-remembered-before-start-of-daytona-200/
https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/ama-horizon-award-renamed-the-nicky-hayden-ama-horizon-award/
https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/nicky-hayden-a-tribute-from-his-brother-roger/