Nicky Hayden

Nicholas Nicky Patrick Hayden , nicknamed The Kentucky Kid, is an American professional motorcycle racer who won the MotoGP World Championship in 2006.

Hayden was born in Owensboro, Kentucky. As a youth, racing twice his age CMRA, Hayden would often start the race from the back of the starting grid while a family or crew member held his bike upright because he could not touch the ground. Later, at age 17, he was racing factory Honda RC45 superbikes while still in high school. In 1999, he won the AMA Supersport championship on board a privateer Honda. In 2001, his first full season as an AMA superbike racer, he came withinpoints of winning the championship, finishing behind only champion Mat Mladin and runnerup Eric Bostrom. The 2002 season, however, would see Hayden answering the bell he won the Daytona 200 on a Honda Superbike en route to becoming the youngest ever AMA Superbike Champion, defeating reigning triple champion Mat Mladin, among others. He also entered the World Superbike round at Laguna Seca, making a solid 4th in the first race before colliding with Noriyuki Haga in race two.

Source: Wikipedia