It would have made sense for Nicky Hayden and his brothers to pursue NASCAR
careers while growing up in Owensboro, Ky., a city that sent Darrell and Michael
Waltrip and Jeremy Mayfield to the top of stock car racing.
But four wheels never was really their thing.
The Haydens always were interested in the high-speed thrills and spills of
motorcycles, and Hayden has gone straight to the top. "The Kentucky Kid"
competes in MotoGP, the world's premier motorcycle series that is as revered as
Formula One racing.
Hayden heads to Monterey, Calif., this weekend as the defending champion of
the Red Bull United States Grand Prix, and as the leader in the world
championship standings.
"At the beginning, everybody thought it was a fluke," the 24-year-old Hayden
said. "But I definitely feel strong. I've got a good team around me. I am
healthy, and I feel really strong mentally and physically.
"We are a serious contender."
Tell that to Valentino Rossi, the five-time defending world champion who
trails Hayden by 26 points. An Italian known as "The Doctor," Rossi's worldwide
popularity and stature in MotoGP is akin to a Jeff Gordon or a Michael
Schumacher.
Hayden knows holding him off over the final seven races will be difficult.
"He's the one we are really up against," Hayden said. "I actually feel like a
bit of an underdog, because I know it is going to be tough to get the crown away
from Rossi."
The challenge continues Sunday at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca, a twisting
13-turn track with the tricky corkscrew that Hayden stunningly mastered last
year.
It was the first MotoGP event on American soil in 10 years, and Hayden, then
in his third season on the tour, had yet to win a race. But in front of a crowd
of more than 153,000 — including Michael Jordan and Brad Pitt — Hayden scored
his first career victory and was able to hoist the American flag on top of the
podium.
"Man, it was like a fairy tale — by far the best day of my life," he said.
"Just this total sense of pride, being in front of American fans. It was almost
like the Olympics, where they play the national anthem while you are up on the
podium.
"I had never had so much fun riding a bike, it was just really good to come
home and get it done."
The event and Hayden's victory raised so much interest in MotoGP that it was
chronicled in a feature-length documentary, "The Doctor, The Tornado & The
Kentucky Kid," that will be previewed this weekend in downtown Monterey.
