Spotlight: Hayden Turns First Laps at IMS

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2006 MotoGP Champion Nicky Hayden turned the first laps by a motorcycle on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s recently reconfigured road course, riding a restored 1909 Indian motorcycle that competed in the Speedway’s first race on August 14, 1909. After the historic first lap on the Indian, Hayden made several laps on a Honda production bike before speaking to the media. The event was staged in preparation for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP, to be held September 14, 2008.

“It was pretty unique and quite an honor to be the first guy around the new track here at the famous Speedway,” Hayden said. “It was exciting to be here and be a part of it.”

“I want to do my part to do all I can and make the race be a huge success. MotoGP and road racing, in general, is a great sport, and this is a big opportunity to show it to people. There are a lot of racing fans and sports fans in this area, but also to show them a different form of motorsports should be good for this sport.”

Photo by Paul Woods, April 7, 2008.