Nicky Hayden Will Be Inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Later This Year

MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden is set to be inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, along with eight other legends of American motorsport.

The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America says that it singled-out Hayden for his 2006 MotoGP World Championship title, and other feats while rising in the world of motorcycle road racing:

“The Kentucky Kid” is best known for winning the 2006 MotoGP World Championship, breaking Valentino Rossi’s streak of five straight titles. Hayden emerged in 1997, winning the inaugural AMA Horizon Award in recognition of his flat-track prowess.

“In 1999 he was named AMA Athlete of the Year after capturing the AMA Supersport title and his first Grand National win. Three years later he became the youngest ever winner of the AMA Superbike Championship, including the 2002 Daytona 200. He was killed bicycling in 2017. That year, the AMA renamed the Horizon Award in his honor.”

Hayden is part of the 2021 class of inductees for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, which will formally be inducted into the hall of fame on September 29th, just a day after the delayed induction of the 2020 class.

Nicky Hayden’s name will join 268 others in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, which makes his inclusion an auspicious number as he ran the number 69 throughout his career.

It is a fitting tribute for a rider who left his mark on American motorsport, and is dearly missed by the motorcycle racing community.