20 Years Anniversary: Nicky Hayden's 2006 World Championship To Be Celebrated at Austin This Weekend
Hayden got it done at the final round in Valencia—closing the deal on a childhood dream and becoming world champion, the hard way.
by Dean F. Adams
Thursday, March 26, 2026
Phone Call Phil
Our Nick rolling through a left-hander on the RC211V Honda V-5. His championship motorcycle will be at Austin this weekend.
It’s well known that there will be a celebration of Nicky Hayden’s 2006 MotoGP World Championship this weekend at the MotoGP race in Austin. It’s been 20 years since the Kentucky Kid beat Valentino Rossi and Yamaha for what many would call the final—and perhaps most significant—title of the storied 990cc era.
Nicky’s championship Honda RC211V is being hauled to Texas and will be on display in the paddock—rarely seen publicly since his funeral and at a 6–9 Day group ride held in his honor.
Hayden's 2006 title closed out the fiery 990 first era of MotoGP. That season will never be forgotten by anyone who witnessed it as Hayden did not have to just contend with battling Rossi and Yamaha, but, incredibly, his own Repsol Honda team to win the title. At one of the races of that season Hayden put a sticker on his bike which read "PRC" in HRC-style text. Honda team management removed the sticker before Hayden could go out in practice.
Hayden sealed the title at the final round in Valencia, achieving the childhood dream he’d chased his entire life—becoming a world champion.
Nicky Hayden
Even before the infamous Estoril incident, which saw Nicky Hayden taken out by his teammate Dani Pedrosa, Nicky saw every day which way his team leaned—and it wasn’t in his favor. Briefly, these stickers appeared on his Honda during the 2006 season. In retrospect, it’s tempting to say Pedrosa was hexed by his actions at Estoril: even with a team and bike built around him, he never won a MotoGP title.
A D V E R T I S M E N T
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