American Motorcyclist Association and American Honda to Pay Tribute to Late Nicky Hayden with Two Custom Bikes
American road racer and flat tracker Nicky Hayden had passed away from an accident in Italy on 22nd May 2017, and it has been little over a year since then.
(Image taken from MotoGP)
To celebrate the life and career of the popular racer, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and American Honda will be commissioning two custom motorcycles in his memory. According to the press release, American Honda will be donating two motorcycles to the project.
“Race fans the world over loved Nicky for his charm, his beautiful smile, and his willingness to stop and talk to anyone and everyone. Those of us who were lucky enough to know him and work with him loved him as well,” said Keith Dowdle, who is the Manager of Experiential Marketing over at American Honda.
He continued: “Nicky was a true champion in every sense of the word. He was humble and gracious even after all of his success. We all miss him dearly. The bikes that we donated to the AMA represent one of several projects that we’re working on to celebrate Nicky’s life for years to come.”
The bikes in question - a CBR1000RR and XR650L will be customized to “pay tribute to Hayden’s competitive accomplishments and exceptional class,” according to AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman.
As stated in the press release, the CBR1000RR will be decked in full Repsol Honda livery while the XR650L bike is to be modified by award-winning custom bike builder Tony Prust in Chicago. The latter vehicle will see it being customized to sport a street-tracker motif.
The custom motorcycles will be officially debuting on December 7th during the AMA Legends and Champions Weekend in Columbus, Ohio.
Through 2019, the bikes will tour at certain events and then put on display at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. It is also revealed that the motorcycles will eventually be raffled off to raise funds for the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation.
(Image taken from Cycle News)
To Dingman and probably every MotoGP fan out there, Nicky Hayden was “the consummate American motorcycle racer, emerging from the amateur ranks to dominate American road racing on his way to the 2006 MotoGP World Championship.”
“Moreover, he represented the best of sportsmanship and character, and never forgot his roots, even when competing on the world stage against living legends,” Dingman continued.
It is no wonder that even with his untimely death, Nicky Hayden is still a man who will live on in the hearts of many.