Hayden brothers return to their flat track roots

If you're a fan of road racing and the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. SuperBike Championship then you're probably familiar with the motorcycling exploits of the Hayden clan. 

The three brothers, Tommy, Nicky and Roger Lee, have quickly risen to the top ranks and become fan favourites in the process. 

But many fans may not realize that the Hayden brothers' penchant for racing is rooted in flat track competition, America's most storied form of motorcycle racing. 

Back home on the Hayden ranch in Owensboro, Kentucky, the boys regularly sharpen their skills competing against one another on a backyard dirt oval. 

Not a family to forget their roots, Nicky, 19, and Roger Lee, 17, have put together a deal that will have them racing at select 2001 AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship events. 

The duo will ride Harley-Davidson XR750s for a Dave Burks-managed team with primary backing from Samson Exhaust Systems and Corbin Motors (Corbin's electric three-wheel car division). The team plans on entering 12-15 flat-track events in 2001. 

Whether or not the oldest Hayden brother, Tommy, 22, goes flat tracking is largely up to Yamaha, where he is a factory SuperBike and 600 SuperSport rider. The Corbin team will have a bike available for him to ride. "Tommy would like to ride the Peoria TT and the Springfield Mile Hall of Fame race weekend for sure," said father Earl Hayden. 

The Hayden's latest move rekindles memories of the iron-man heyday of the AMA Grand National Championships, when riders had to compete on road-race courses as well as dirt miles, half-miles, short tracks and TTs. The brothers will race between 33 and 35 events in 2001. For the average human, just travelling 33 to 35 weekends would be exhausting. 

"When the boys were amateurs they raced 45 to 50 times a year", said Hayden. "Then they turned pro and all of a sudden it was 10 races a year. That was real hard for the boys, they want to race all the time." Hayden added.