Superbike: portrait of Nicky Hayden

The world of motorcycling will remember Nicky Hayden as a fast and spectacular rider, loyal to his opponents and available to the many fans who admired him for his talent and the smile he always gave.
A strong charisma that he was able to show from the first days of his arrival in the paddock of the World Series Championship at the beginning of 2016, ready to start a new phase of his career.

Hayden adapted very quickly to the World Superbike world: his always direct personality, without ambitions of being a star and always close to his fans, fit perfectly with the philosophy of his new home.

The American rider made his debut in the new class in February 2016, at Phillip Island, on a track he knew well, immediately coming close to a podium, and he, who had come from a few seasons in MotoGP where he wasn't racing for the leading positions, had confessed then: “I learned a lot about the bike this weekend, but also about the championship in general. It was very useful and I won't lie: I had fun being able to be competitive and being at the front again."

However, the event was only postponed: he achieved his first podium at the fourth event of the year, with third position in Assen, a preamble to his long-awaited return to victory, which arrived in the second race in Sepang, Malaysia, in wet conditions .
Hayden seized the opportunity and attempted to escape from the first moment, a risky strategy that however left his opponents no chance.
“I know people say you can't win the race on the first lap, but in wet races yes, you can” – Ten years had passed since his last victory, and seven since the last triumph of an American in the category: yes it was therefore a historic success, but for him, always self-critical, it was also the confirmation that he could continue to push his career towards new limits: “Getting a victory was pleasant, it always is when you achieve a victory or a podium , but I can't be satisfied, I want to achieve more and do the best."

The American knew that he would have another good opportunity in the US round, at Laguna Seca, his "home" track and the scene of his greatest successes in MotoGP: it was a truly exciting weekend for him, in front of the its fans, culminating in the conquest of the third step of the podium at the end of a very hard-fought Race 1. “It's a great feeling. I know that the fans would have preferred a victory and so would I, but being on the podium on a circuit that I really like and with a support that I adore makes me very happy" – he commented Nicky Hayden.

A month later, the boy from Kentucky achieved his fourth and final podium in WorldSBK, in the round at the Lausitzring, before the summer break began, again achieving third position in Race1: “I really wanted to beat Tom, I saw the fans and I thought 'I want to give him something,' so I tried with all my might when I was just behind him.”
A statement that highlighted his great motivations: the competitive challenge and the audience present in the stands.

After finishing his first season with a top 5 in the overall standings, Hayden unfortunately suffered an injury during the winter break, in flat track training, and underwent an operation on his anterior cruciate ligament, but showed up fit at the first round 2017, in Australia.

The current season had not yet given him great satisfaction: the new Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 needed time and a lot of development work, but Hayden had not been discouraged and had thrown himself into the project with his proverbial determination, in the five rounds he had contested this year.
His seventh place in Buriram, Thailand, was the best result for the American, who was trying to turn the tables.

The tragic accident posed a challenge to his project, to the dreams that he still had to realize and that he kept within himself, including certainly that of winning again in his homeland, at Laguna Seca, and the ambition of being the first driver to win the title in MotoGP, in 2006, and in World Superbike.
Nicky Hayden will always be remembered as one of the greats.