Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1017116
YOSHIMURA SUZUKI FACTORY RACER ROGER HAYDEN P94 INTERVIEW that didn't rely on a nine-five job at the end of it. "I lived my childhood dream. I had really great people around me that helped lead me to what to do with my money that I made, and actually listened, thank God. It was hard when I was younger to listen to, 'You don't want to buy that. You should invest it.' Invest it? I want a new truck! I don't want to invest it. Today I'm glad I did because I'm in a posi- tion where things are okay. "The racing has changed a lot from when I started as a pro to now. There's a lot less rides. When I first turned pro, there was no such thing as 'buying a ride.' Now if you're a kid, the second question they usually ask is how much money you got? That was nonexistent when I started. "I tell the kids I ride with at home sometimes, it used to take an hour and a half to get out of Laguna Seca back in the day. Now you don't even hit the brakes. So, things have definitely changed a lot. I know everybody's working hard to improve it, but there's only so much we can do. We need the fans to really get behind us and really rally. MotoAmerica is doing all they can, but they can't make teams show up." Roger doesn't want to van- ish from the race paddock; he has plans to still be involved in one capacity or another. One "Definitely things are starting to calm down a little bit," Roger says of Nicky's 2017 passing. "It's not easy, just because there's always constant reminders. Good stuff, like the statue, and then he's go- ing to be in the Kentucky Motorsports Hall of Fame, and stuff like that. It's just an adjustment period. "Our family is not the only family that's ever had to go through this. It's something we've never had to experience. The first year is the hardest. The first Christmas, the first birthday, the first Thanksgiving. We went on a family trip for Christmas and nothing's the same. For one, a lot of people probably don't know this, but Nicky was a clown. He was always puling pranks and tricks and you just had to always be on your toes when he was around. We miss that. "I think we all, and especial- ly for me, he would be mad if we're down here walking around moaning and groaning and not enjoying life. You don't ever move on, but he would be disappointed if we weren't enjoying life. That's the way I look at it. People were like, 'why are you riding the test at Pittsburgh?' I'm like, 'dude, I know it's what he would want me to do. He would want me to go do my best and not have an excuse.' "There's still hard days, especially for my parents. You're not supposed to bury your child. That's really difficult on them. But everybody is hanging in there. He just had a birthday on July 30th and we all let off some balloons and stuff together. It's hard not to be selfish. He was supposed to get married. He didn't get to see life after racing. He didn't get to see me get married. Then I think, man, I had a brother for 34 years. He was only one year older. We got in trouble together, rode together, trained together, chased girls together, helped each other out. A lot of people don't get to experience that for one year. Deep down, I'm just grateful to have a brother like I had for 34 years that always was looking out, no matter what the situation was."