The young North American Superbike champion, will make his MotoGP World Championship debut on April 6th in Suzuka at the Japanese Grand Prix. 21-year-old Hayden was born in Owensboro, Kentucky and will contest the MotoGP class after having been crowned in his country as the youngest winner of the American Superbike Championship.

At the age of three, Hayden already knew what it meant to be on a bike, but he actually started at the age of five, taking part in local Dirt Track races. In 1998, the sixteen-year-old Nicky Hayden began to race on circuits, becoming a professional rider the same year. In his debut season, Hayden finished fourth in the AMA 600 Series, already showing the talent that would turn him into the youngest American 600 champion the following year. That same year he took second overall in the AMA Xtreme Series behind his Erion Honda team-mate Kurtis Roberts.

The “Rookie of the Year” prize he got at the AMA Dirt Track crowned the 1999 season. In 2000, Hayden signed for Honda America and rewarded the team with his first victory in the National Superbike Championship in Atlanta, eventually finishing second overall that year. After a third place in 2001 Nicky Hayden managed to take the overall victory in 2002.

Despite his young age, Hayden can already be proud of his 35 podium finishes in AMA championships, including seventeen in Superbikes. This year, Nicky Hayden will be fighting to earn his spot in the so much contended MotoGP World Championship on a RC211V, having the reigning champion, Valentino Rossi, as his team-mate in the Repsol Honda squad.

Date of birth: July 30th 1981
Place of birth: Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
First contest: 1986, Dirt Track. Five years of age
First AMA National podium: 1998, 600cc Supersport, Willow Springs, USA
Total AMA National podiums: 35, 5 in the 750cc Supersport Series, 7 in Formula Xtreme, 6 in 600cc Supersport and 17 in Superbikes
AMA National Championship titles: 2, 1 in 600 Supersport 1999 and 1 in Superbikes 2002.
1998: 4th AMA 750 Supersport Series
1998: 4th AMA 600 Supersport Series
1999: AMA 600 Supersport Champion
1999: 2nd AMA Formula Xtreme Series
1999: Rookie of the Year AMA Dirt Track
1999: Speedvision Professional Sportsmen of the Year
2000: 2nd AMA Superbikes
2000: 4th AMA Pro Honda 600 Supersport Series
2001: 3rd AMA Superbikes
2002: AMA Superbike Champion

INTERVIEW

What’s your best memory of the years you’ve been racing?
“The best memory of my life is winning the Superbike Championship in the USA, it was something very special and with no doubt a great moment.”

And the worst memory?
“I don’t like calling a memory “the worst”. I’ve had bad days, but “the worst”... I’ve enjoyed them all, it’s difficult to say that some moment has been the worst, because there might be even worse moments yet to come.”

New championship, new circuits, new team, new bike... Everything is new this season. Where does Nicky Hayden think he can get this year?
“What I really want this season is to learn as much as possible, because, as you already said, everything is new: circuits, tyres, different kind of brakes... For the moment I just want to enjoy, have a good time and learn as much as I can, giving always a 100% and see how things turn out.”

You’re in the best team of the World Championship, with the World Champion bike, one of the strongest sponsors and with the reigning World Champion as your team-mate, and it’s your first year... isn’t this to much pressure for you, being so young?
“Well, the fact of knowing that I’m racing with the best team, the best bike and the best sponsor actually reduces the pressure... I have a strong support and I feel very lucky about having this opportunity, but I don’t consider it a situation to put me under pressure, at least not in this first season.”

Everybody will be watching you, analysing everything you do... how do you feel?
“I don’t care, it’s part of the game and I take it as such.”

You’ve changed from an AMA Superbike to a V5 with over 200 HP. Isn’t it a quite complicated situation?
“Yes, this bike is hard to ride, more than what I’m used to. It’s a new challenge for me; I’ll have to take my time to learn, but the bike is fantastic and very fast. It’s difficult to ride but nobody told me it would be easy.”

How do you feel physically? Do you think that you’ll have to work-out more than before?
“You always have to work out hard at the gym, but this bike is much lighter than the Superbike, somehow the physical effort is less than what I’m used to, but you obviously have to be professional and work hard.”

Have you already decided where you’re going to live in Europe?
“I haven’t made up my mind yet, I’ll spend some time in different places, trying out and then I’ll decide. Maybe in Belgium with the team, maybe in a motor home, I don’t know yet.”

Did you travel to Europe before the Valencia GP?
“No, I’d never been in Europe before. The lifestyle here is obviously very different than in the United States, but since my arrival I’ve met wonderful people. The most difficult thing is not speaking the local language when you go someplace, but it’s getting better. Some things are different: food, for example, but language is the worst of all, not understanding what people around you are talking about. You also notice it when you drive from one place to another.”

Can you say something in Spanish?
(Laughing) “In Spanish? Yes, but only a few words “hola”,“cómo estás?”, “ señorita”, things like that...”

What impressed you most of your new bike?
“How fast it is, I didn’t expect something like that. I think the Repsol Honda RC211V is a great bike.”

And what do you like less?
“I think I’ll need some more time to get used to the bike, I still have to make it mine to be able to answer that question.”

Where will you have to work harder?
“Probably preparing the bike for me: make the necessary settings to adapt it to my riding style and understand how everything works.”

What will be the hardest thing to adapt to in the World Championship? Food, people...?
Without hesitating) “The circuits, of course. I also know that there will be hard times for me this year, it’s going to be tough but I try not to let it upset me. Besides, I love American food, some of the European food I tried was good, but other... Some time ago I went to a restaurant in Valencia, I had a bite and then crossed the street to have something at McDonalds. But most of the food I’ve tried was very good, the fish for instance: much better than in the U.S.”

Do you know any of the riders you’ll meet on the track this year? Do you have any relation with the Roberts’ or with Hopkins?
“I know John Hopkins a bit, but actually not too much; we met a lot when he was racing in the U.S. I also met Colin Edwards, but not much. I was in the same team as Kenny Roberts young brother Kurtis and I also know the family a bit...”

Have you already been riding on any of the World Championship circuits?
“No, I haven’t been on any of the circuits yet, everything is new for me. I tried the PlayStation but it didn’t help much..(laughs). Here the circuits are new and much better than those I’m used to in the U.S. There are some good tracks over there but others are very dangerous. Many of them have been designed for cars, so the idea of riding in World Championship circuits is very exiting and much more attractive.”

Have you already met you future team-mate, Valentino Rossi? Have you seen him in action? What do you think of him?
”I met Rossi at the Valencia Grand Prix, he seems very nice, and you’d say he has fun riding. I respect him very much, it’s an honour for me to be in his team. I’ve seen him riding and the truth is that can only say good things about him. I’ve also seen him many times on TV. No matter what he’s riding: 125, 500... , he knows how to win. Other riders are good as well, but they lack that ability to find the way to win at the end of the race.”