Drane Earns Nicky Hayden
AMA Road Race Horizon Award
S
am Drane received the Nicky
Hayden AMA Road Race
Horizon Award alongside all the
other special award winners at
the 2026 AMA Road Race Grand
Championship at the Mid-Ohio
Sports Car Course in Lexington,
Ohio, July 24-26.
Drane emerged from the pack
of riders by showcasing the nec
-
essary skill, determination and
demeanor that exemplified the
late Nicky Hayden, an AMA Hall
of Famer, and set him up to excel
at the professional level of rac-
ing. He joins Dallas Daniels and
Bodie Paige as the only riders to
earn two Horizon Awards in one
year after he earned the 2026
Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track
Horizon Award at the AMA Flat
Track Grand Championship. He is
the second racer to complete the
feat in the last two years along
-
side Paige, a fellow Aussie.
"Sam stood out for a variety
of reasons, but his speed on the
track coupled with his character
made him the perfect choice for
this year's honor," AMA Track
Racing Manager Ken Saillant
said. "Sam is well-deserving
of this award and continues to
make history as he gets ready to
make the jump to the next level.
I look forward to seeing Sam
continue to race at a high level
as a professional."
Named in honor of Hayden's
memory by the AMA Board of
Directors in 2017, the Nicky
Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon
Award is given to the rider who
best represents Hayden's quali
-
ties of professionalism, civility,
grit and determination, in addi-
tion to their performance on the
track.
A pair of other competitors
were also recognized for their
accomplishments during the
AMA Road Race Grand Cham
-
pionship. Adam Beldyga was
named the AMA Amateur Road
Racer of the Year, and Alex Irzyk
earned the AMA Vet/Senior
Road Racer of the Year.
CN
WIND
IN THE
P36
Sam Drane was
honored with the
2026 Nicky Hayden
AMA Road Race
Horizon Award.
PHOTO: DAVID FUNK
