Tommy Hayden
V5.
Roger Lee Hayden
Rgalnst
he Pro Honda O ils Supersport Champion is having dinner under the same roof
as the runner-up. They might be at
opposite ends of the table. They might
be in different rooms. It wasn't always
so. The tension is natural and unnatural at once. It
will be the first professional title for either. The older
brot her is the sent imental favorite, but ther e's also
the young upstart who's made the grea t leap forward. The gap going into the final race is comfortable, but not yawning. The interval between races is
excruciating. Why can't we just go out and race?
By fi nishing fifth, Nicky Hayden went on to vvin
the Hayden war of I999 - the Supersport title being
the first of his ascendant career. Tommy Hayden, his
older brother, finished second in the race and the
champ ionship when the season ended at Pikes Peak
International Raceway. Fiveyears later and the roles
are reversed. Tommy heads into the unfortunately
delayed final round at Virginia International Raceway
leading Roger Lee, the youngest of the three brothers and the runaway vvinner of most improved rider
of 2004. O nce again, it's all in the family
.
Because of his lead, Nicky remembers that he
"almost felt like more pressure because unless you
T
46 oaOBER 13, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS
Tommy Hayden
and Roger Lee
Hayden will
face off for a
title at VIR
By HENNY RAy ABRAM S
PHOTOS BY BRIAN J. NELSON
40th Anniversary
did something stupid, you had it in the bag. It was an
awesome experience at the time . I loved it. Me and
Tommy, we raced each other really hard, but it wasn't like we ever had any beef or anything,"
"We went through this in '99 and it was pretty
much about the same," Rose Hayden , the family
matriarch, recalled about the first time aro und.
This time around, the Hayde n family dinner table
in Owensboro, Kentucky, again tells the story of the
bro thers' rivalry.
"When Nicky and Tommy was going for the
championship in the 600 [in 1999], they 'd sit at the
o pposite end of the table," Earl Hayden remembered in a phone conversation from Doha, site of
the inaugural Marlboro Grand Prix of Qatar. "They'd
at least sit down and eat , but at the opposite of the
table . Now Roger [who has his own apartment]
comes over at six o'clock , and Tommy [a homeowner] comes over at seven . Same meal - they just
eat two different times,"
When did it begin?
"Since Roger Lee kind of closed it up the last cou ple of races ," Earl says.
It isn't easy being Earl, but it has been harder. He
no longer has to run back and forth among three
