Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

"The Tonight Show" - With the Haydens! than just television in what was going to be a different road," Tommy said. "We're not hectic week for the trio. The day after the show, they'd planned a move, from their (From left to right) Tommy Hoyden, Joy Leno, Nicky Hoyden ond Roger Lee Hoyden. sure how long we're going to be out there. I heard two sets maybe... seven or nine winter-base condo in Orange, California, to a minutes. And they've got some footage of larger house in the same neighborhood. racing to show." Moving day was just around the corner. The boys also got to hang with actress Kate Hudson. "We have that going for us as well," Tommy said. "We have movers coming, but we had to get it organized for them so we can get it done in one day." Nicky was the busiest of the three, having just made the trip from Europe. If jetlag was setting in, he wasn't shOWing any ill effects. As for the move, the GP star was hoping his brothers had already taken care of it. "I was hoping they had everything done," Nicky said. A one-handed Tommy (he suffered a broken right hand at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) wasn't going to be much good on moving day, and Roger Lee didn't want a lot to do with it either. f anyone in the history of American road racers has had a better year off the track than Repsol Honda's Nicky Hayden, not many know about it. How's this for off- I "I'm feeling the flu coming on right now," Roger Lee joked. But back to the show. The Hayden boys leg (or in this case, voice) work leading up to the show. It was Tommy who handled the majority of the pre-show interviews with the cleaned up nicely for their appearance with segment producer. Leno, thanks in part to the help of a stylist. track publicity in the mainstream media: the ''I'm not really nervous," Tommy said Expensive jackets, shirts, jeans and shoes "Today" show, People magazine... and now "The Tonight Show with lay Leno." So what does Nicky Hayden do to top his from the Hayden dressing room just prior to were the order of the day. "They highly recommended that we dressed up," Tommy said. "They didn't want any logo shirts. anything like that... which appearances on the leading morning show on television and his nomination as one of America's "hottest bachelors" in the popular weekly magazine? Hayden brings his road racing brothers Tommy and Roger Lee along for an appearance on Leno's show. Leno's producers originally wanted Hayden straight after his win in the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, but the timing didn't work. This time, however, it did, with Nicky flying straight going out to the famous "Tonight Show" couch. ""m just ready to get it over with. It's been a week of talking to people from the show getting ready. It was just pre-interviews for them to get ready, to learn more about us." Nicky was also interviewed by the show's producers - on the phone while in Europe but it was Tommy who handled most of the preparation for the big night. "Tommy was the pOint man," Nicky said. "He actually doubles as the nanny." To which the youngest of the three, Roger from the German Grand Prix to Los Lee, said, "He actually has two contracts Angeles on Monday, August I for the broth- with Kawasaki: one as a rider, the other as a ers' appearance on the "Tonight Show" on nanny. He makes sure I show up on time." Tuesday, August 2. As is normally the case for the racing trio, older brother Tommy did most of the also pick his gearing and tires." To which Tommy replied, "Yeah, and I The Haydens had more on their minds makes sense." Roger Lee even got a haircut, though that wasn't by choice. Earlier in the week, the factory Kawasaki rider had singed off a few inches of hair. Turns out he was burning trash back home in Owensboro when an aerosol can exploded in his face, begging the natural question of whether or not he was the only guest on the "Tonight Show" who actually burns his own trash. For the most part, the boys were also fairly clued in to how the show would go before hitting the stage. "We pretty much know from the interviews where it's going, but the producers say that lay [Leno1 could take it down a whole Pastrana Strikes Again in X Games Freestyle Travis Pastrana still had the bull's-eye on his back after the X Games I I Moto X Freestyle final at Home Depot Center in Carson, California, on August 6, as he flipped everything in sight on his way to his fifth Freestyle gold in six attempts and his 10th medal overall, edging out Kenny Bartram with a score of 92.BO. "Everyone has a completely different style of riding and a different style of judging," said Pastrana of the first through fourth places that were separat- appointed with his bronze after turning out many flip combos and variations, including linking a 360 and a back flip on consecutive jumps. "I thought I would do better, but considering I wasn't even riding four weeks ago, I'm happy," Adams said. leremy Stenberg finished fourth despite a huge IDO-foot flip - 10 feet longerthan the world recor-setting jump that gave him gold in Best Trick on Thursday, August 4. CAP: Travis Pastrana won his 10th ed by less than 2.5 points. "I feel amaz- "Sometimes you win and sometimes you career X Games medal with a win in the ing. This has been the most competitive Freestyle field I have competed against, 8 and it feels great to win. Pastrana wowed the crowd of 26,413 at Home Depot Center with huge Ciiffhangers, a big Lazyboy and numerous flip combinations, as well as a huge wall ride. Bartram earned his third silver and fifth medal overall with a score of 92.00 from a first run that included Superman Double Can-Cans to No-Handed Lander and a Fakie off the wall. He also threw in the SideSaddle Back Flip that earned him fourth place in the Best Trick competition. lose," Bartram said. Last year's champ, Nate Adams, was dis- Freestyle Moto X competition. It was his fifth Freestyle gold medal. AUGUST 17, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS "She said she wants to come to a race," Nicky said. "She said learned to ride a Triumph when she was filming How to Lose 0 Guy in 10 Doys," Tommy added. When asked to compare doing the "Tonight Show" with doing the "Today" show, Nicky said: "It's about the same, I guess. I didn't really know what the "Today" show was, and I know more about this and have seen it. It's cool and stuff, but I'd rather be... well, it's cool not to be talking about tire choices and stuff. So many people watch shows like this that don't know a thing about road racing. Hopefully, those people will like what they see and want to be into it." "It's a little different, for sure," Roger Lee said. "There's a lot of sitting around. It's kind of boring, I guess, but it's definitely good for bikes that we're doing something like this." Roger Lee had one last question before taking to the stage: "Does everyone shake his [Leno's] hand when they go out there?" Yes, Roger, they do. The boys didn't come without gifts. Nicky gave Leno an Alpinestars U.S. GP jacket and a Nicky Hayden replica Arai Helmut; Tommy brought Hayden brothers T-shirts; and in typical Roger Lee style, he gave Leno T-shirts from his father's used car lot in Owensboro - Second Chance Auto Sales. But on this night the three Hayden boys were definitely stars. This was fairly evident when just prior to heading on stage, Kate Hudson stuck her head into their dressing room. "Have fun, guys," the actress said. And they did. Paul Carruthers

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