Owensboro, Kentucky To Honor Nicky Hayden With Sculpture
In Owensboro, Kentucky, the Hayden family are considered royalty, and its shining star was Nicky Hayden. The town, and the world at large, was devastated by Nicky’s passing a year ago, and in his honor the city of Owensboro will unveil a sculpture dedicated to him. The unveiling will take place June 8, at 5:30pm and will be led by Mayor Tom Watson. There, Watson will also declare June 9th as Nicky Hayden Day, in honor of The Kentucky Kid’s racing number 69.
The full press release is included below.
CITY OF OWENSBORO TO HONOR NICKY HAYDEN WITH SCULPTURE
The City of Owensboro is proud to partner with the family of Nicky Hayden for the unveiling of a sculpture honoring the late MotoGP World Champion and Owensboro native.
“Although Nicky spent most of the year traveling around the world, there was no other place that he loved more than his hometown,” said the family. “Where he came from was very important to him, and he took great pride in representing Owensboro in a positive way. We would like to thank the City for their support in this project and we hope everyone can join us for this very special event.”
The public is invited to attend the unveiling of the sculpture, which will coincide with Friday After 5 on June 8th at 5:30pm. The ceremony will take place on the front lawn of the Owensboro Convention Center, located at 501 W. 2nd St., which will be the permanent home of the sculpture. Mayor Tom Watson will read a proclamation declaring June 9th as Nicky Hayden Day, representing Nicky’s racing number 69.
“It is with great pride that we as a community have the opportunity to continue the Kentucky Kid’s legacy in his hometown,” said Mayor Watson. “We will have a lasting memorial to commemorate his accomplishments to not only OBKY but to the world. I want to thank the Hayden family for allowing us to partner with them on this truly eventful day.”
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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Soixante neuf!
Great tribute to a terrific motorcycle racing icon and champion, but to also an amazing human being. I met Nicky in the 90s at Laguna, when MotoGP was still running there and also the old pre-DMG AMA series. Thanks for some of my most fondest memories Nicky!