Indianapolis Motor Speedway pays tribute to Hayden

Hayden died May 22 from injuries suffered when struck by a car while cycling May 17 in Rimini, Italy.

“Everyone at IMS mourns the loss of our friend Nicky Hayden,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “When you met Nicky, you immediately felt you had known him for years.

“His humility and sincerity always made genuine connections with everyone, as he truly was one of the nicest guys you could ever meet in racing. Nicky was a tireless ambassador for MotoGP at the Speedway and a passionate supporter of all events at IMS.”

Hayden raced in six of the eight Indianapolis GP events from 2008 to ’15, competing for the works Honda team, works Ducati team and satellite Aspar squad on an Open class Honda.

He finished second in 2008 with Honda and third in 2009 with Ducati. He missed the 2012 race due to a broken hand suffered in a crash during qualifying, and the 2014 race due to a wrist injury.

Boles continued: “We offer our thoughts, prayers and condolences to his parents, Rose and Earl; his fiancée, Jackie; his brothers, Tommy and Roger, his sisters, Jenny and Kathleen; and to all his friends, teammates and legions of fans around the world. He will always be remembered fondly at IMS.”

The IMS statement described Hayden as “arguably the most popular rider during MotoGP’s eight-year run at IMS, rivaled only by his good friend and seven-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi.

“Hayden’s trademark No. 69 was seen on hats, T-shirts and banners everywhere at IMS, and big crowds flocked to fan forums in the infield to hear his self-effacing, funny answers to questions in his inimitable Kentucky twang."

In 2008, Hayden donned a period-specific leather cap, goggles, IMS sweater, knickers and riding boots to turn the first laps on the newly paved IMS motorcycle road course on an Indian motorcycle that competed in the first motorized race at the Speedway, in 1909.

A month later, he rode a long, smoky burnout down the front straightaway and across the Yard of Bricks on his Honda, carrying an American flag, during pre-race ceremonies for the Indianapolis 500.