Nicky Haden, one of the most loved MotoGP riders of all time, departed from the world in 2017 after a bicycle accident and in the world of motorsports, there is absolutely no greater tribute to an athlete than to retire its racing number. Now, the same honor will be given to Nicky at this year’s Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin Texas. His iconic number “69” will live forever as a part of Nicky’s legacy as no other racer will be allowed to use this racing number in competition ever again.
Nicky stepped into the world of MotoGP in 2003, and managed to grab podium position twice in his debut year. Soon after, he won his first GrandPrix race in 2005, and then a year later he became the MotoGP winner of the season 2006.
Back in the year 2015, Nicky was named a “MotoGP Legend”, and the last year, turn 18 at the Circuit of the Americas was named after him as “Hayden Hill”.
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Nicky was as much loved for his off-track personality as he was for his on-track riding skills. And he is considered as one of the most beloved MotoGP riders of all time. His demise came as a personal loss not just for the entire MotoGP fraternity but to the motorcycle enthusiasts all over the world.
“What a great honor it will be for Nicky’s #69 to be retired at Austin,” said Hayden’s father, Earl. “It is very fitting that it will be done at the US race as these races meant so much to Nicky and he looked forward to them so much every year. For myself, in particular, this will be a very special event because the #69 was my number when I raced and I was very proud to see Nicky run the #69 on his bikes for his entire career.”
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