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 P98 INTERVIEW of which could be helping the next generation of kids coming through. "I want to stick around, because I don't want the Hayden name to just disap- pear. Okay, we're known on the track, but I want to still be in the sport, still giving back. I'd for sure like to help a young kid. I feel like I could bring a lot to the table. I've been there and done a lot, and if I haven't, I have a couple older brothers, so I've seen it. "I just always want to stay in the sport and keep it growing and see the next wave. I want to see the series back to where it used to be and I want to turn on MotoGP and WorldSBK and see an American at the front." Hayden has three rounds left in his professional career, one that will culminate in his final race close to home in Kentucky at Bar- ber Motorsports Park in Alabama on September 21-23. "Barber is probably my favor- ite track, worldwide," Hayden smiles. "It's weird with Barber because I got hurt really bad there twice, but I've won the most races there, so I guess really your "TONY IS A GREAT TEAMMATE" "I tell people all the time when they ask about Tony [Elias], I always say last year we were battling for the championship—this was early and in the points, we were sixth. We were at the Pittsburgh test, and I didn't ride the first day. We just found out about Nicky's accident. But I wanted to learn the track because we were going to race there. "It would be hard to learn the track. You'd just be a lot further off if you didn't. But, of course, it was impossible to focus when I was out here. But he was waiting on me telling me, 'Get be- hind me, follow me,' all day. Just trying to help me. 'Just follow me, focus on me. You don't have to focus about any- thing else.' I couldn't really believe it. He was battling for the championship. Pittsburgh is at the end of the year, and he's trying to help me learn the track and get up to speed. To him, it wasn't about racing. It was about somebody he liked. So, I gained a lot of respect for him that day. "It's funny, when we sign autographs together, all the time people come up to him and thank him for winning that MotoGP race when Nicky got knocked down [Portugal, 2006]. So, it was kind of like, he actually helped my brother win the world championship and now we're teammates. It's cool that people bring that up and remember it." Hayden's been a part of the professional race scene since his debut year in 1999. Hayden, seen here with his nieces, is looking forward to having a family of his own when his racing career concludes this year.