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/128388
Winn .5. GP may be just what the d r ordered for The Start of Something Big icky Hayden had to put Jay Leno on hold. The motorcycle fanatic invited the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix winner to be a guest on the most popular late-night talk show on television. But Hayden had to decline for the moment. His focus is on racing and winning and proving that he's not a home-track wonder. "I won one, but I want to keep them coming," Hayden said during a phone interview from his home in Owensboro, Kentucky, on Friday morning. "I know that in Europe, I know all my critics over there - it's probably not going to mean much I won here in Laguna. But to really prove it to them, I need to win on one of their tracks." The chance will come shortly. Following a weekend at home, Hayden heads to the UK for the British Grand Prix at Donington Park. A week later, he'll be in the former East Germany for the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring. But this was a week to savor his victory and prepare for the near future. N 32 JULY 27.2005 • CYCLE NEWS "It still is one race: when I think about it, I definitely still smile," said Hayden, who couldn't contain his jubilation during his cool-down lap at Laguna Seca. Though it wasn't telecast, he gave his father Earl a harrowing victory ride on the Repsol Honda RC21 IV. "But Donington is just around corner and I've got to start making plans for that," he added. Hayden never slowed down during the race nor after. Straight away he took a phone call from Honda Racing Corporation president Suguru Kanazawa. Hayden thanked Kanazawa for haVing faith in him. "It was cool," Hayden said. "Obviously, I'm happy for myself, but I'm definitely happy for Honda, and especially my team. I know what it's like in the front of that truck when the results aren't coming. Those meetings aren't much fun, especially for the riders, but also team managers and guys like that. They get a lot of heat from sponsors wanting results - so does everybody else. So, it was really nice to hear from those guys." There was a very entertaining and lengthy postrace press conference with Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi - by far the best of the year - followed by a debriefing with the team. Then the fun began. ':t\merican Honda had a tent for the fans and stuff," Hayden said of his first stop. "The president of Honda Motor was there. 1went to that. Then I just packed up my crates, because they ship all that gear back overseas." Next came a brief walk across the front-straight footbridge for a party at the Red Bull hospitality area at the old media center above turn one. ':All my buddies and stuff were up there, a lot of people 1 knew," he said, including fellow riders Rossi, john Hopkins, jake Zemke, jason Pridmore and others - plus Michael jordan and Matt Leblanc. "I went up there and hung out for a bit," Hayden said. "It was a pretty full house." Then it was off to the team dinner and yet another Red Bull soiree, this one at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. "[The Dj) played some pretty good jams and stuff, so we just got out there and had some fun, tried to enjoy