What Makes Nicky Hayden Special? Father Earl Fills Us In
Any parent will tell you watching their children succeed brings a sense of pride that can’t be matched. But when your child is a world champion like Nicky Hayden, that sense of pride goes beyond winning a tee-ball game. Of course, succeeding at the highest level requires talent, dedication and discipline to achieve. And while you can’t teach talent, the other two traits are within the means of parents to instill in their children.
Here, Earl Hayden, father not only to Nicky, but to U.S. champions Tommy and Roger Lee (and two daughters: Jenny and Kathleen) talks about what makes Nicky so special. From Nicky’s earliest memories of wanting to be world champion, to the present day and his desire to win both the MotoGP and World Superbike titles, Earl recounts the character traits that separate Nicky Hayden from the rest. Anyone who has met or worked with Nicky will tell you his greatest attribute is his humility, both on and off the racetrack. And while Nicky gets the credit for winning titles, his humbleness is attributed directly to Earl (and mother Rose).
Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.
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Way to go Earl and Nickey. Good job. Thanks for setting such a fine example.