The world of motorcycling will remember Nicky Hayden as the fast, talented, conscientious and spectacular rider and off the track, for his good nature and extraordinary charisma. All those qualities were welcomed when The Kentucky Kid arrived in the World Superbike Championship in early 2016, to begin a new stage in his career.

Hayden had no difficulty adjusting to the World Superbike paddock, with his down to earth nature and always being close to the fans, he was perfectly in keeping with the character of his new home.

The North American rider made his debut in WorldSBK in February 2016 at Phillip Island, a track that he knew well from his long MotoGP career. On his first weekend he narrowly missed out on securing his debut podium as he remained a fraction of a second behind Davide Giugliano on the last lap. Hayden, who came straight off the back of a MotoGP season without a head start in WorldSBK, then confessed: "I learned a lot about the bike this weekend, but also about the Championship as a whole. It has been very useful, and I won’t lie: I have enjoyed being competitive and being there again. "

He would soon experience new joy in his debut year of the championship, and it didn’t take him long to understand how to get the best out of his Honda Fireblade. Hayden secured his first podium finish in the fourth round of the year, taking a 3rd position at Assen. This was only the start of his joy, as the long-awaited return to the top came shortly after the second Sepang race in Malaysia, which took place in rainy conditions on a soaked asphalt.

Hayden grabbed the opportunity from the first moment and took off into the distance, a risky strategy which left rivals with no answers. "I know people say that you can’t win the race in the first lap but in the wet races you can," he said after a stunning performance in which he combined skill and courage. It had been ten years since his last victory and for Hayden, who was always self-critical, it was also the confirmation that he could continue to push towards new limits: “To get a win has been nice (in reference to Sepang), to get a win or a podium but I can’t be satisfied, I wanna do more and do it better"

The American knew that he had another good opportunity in the United States Round, as Laguna Seca is his home track and the setting of his most memorable MotoGP successes. On a very emotional weekend, Hayden was reunited with his fans that ignited him, in the setting of a stunning circuit with challenging hills and corners that he knew perfectly. His Kawasaki rivals of Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes took the victories, and Hayden stood on the podium in the first race; which was a third hard-fought match that allowed him to say goodbye to Laguna Seca and his fans from the heights of the podium: "It's a great Feeling. I know [the fans] would prefer a victory, and so would I, but being on the podium in a circuit that I love and with fans that I love makes me feel very happy.

A month later, the Kentucky Kid would secure his fourth and final podium in the WorldSBK Championship. As the series resumed after the summer break at the German circuit of Lausitzring, he secured third position in the Race 1 after overtaking Sykes in the final laps. "I really wanted to beat Tom, I saw the fans and I thought, 'We're going to give them something,' so I tried to push after him," he said after the race which explained his stunning level of motivation: which was the competitive challenge before him and the fans in the stands.

After finishing his first year with a solid top five in the Championship standings, Hayden was injured during the preseason. Following an operation for an anterior cruciate ligament rupture whilst flat track training, he underwent a thorough rehabilitation programme for several weeks, in order to make sure he would be fit for the opening round of the 2017 Championship in Australia.

The current season had not yet brought him many positive results. The new Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 required time and dedication to reach its full potential, and Hayden worked hard with his recognisable determination in the five Rounds he has competed this year. His seventh place in Buriram, Thailand was his best result of the season, and the American rider was very focused on turning the situation around.

 The tragic accident that has taken his life this week has cut short his chance to develop his bike and chase the dreams Hayden treasured within.