From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

HAYDEN SIGNS FOR THE REPSOL HONDA TEAM.

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is delighted to announce that Nicky Hayden has been signed by the official HRC Repsol Honda Team to ride alongside reigning MotoGP World Champion, Valentino Rossi, for the 2003 season.

The 21-year-old from Owensboro, Kentucky, comes to MotoGP after becoming the youngest ever AMA Superbike champion in 2002 riding a Honda SP-2.

Hayden visited the final GP of the season at Valencia in Spain last month to experience first-hand the 16-round series that will take him to all corners of the world next year–his first season of racing outside the US.

“I’m really looking forward to getting on all the great tracks I’ve seen on TV, in front of fans from all over the world. I’ll swing my hardest!” said the American, who began riding at the age of three and competed in his first race aged five.

Hayden has already tested the Repsol Honda RC211V at Motegi in Japan last month and at Valencia and Jerez in Spain during December. “So far riding the bike has been great. I love it,” he said of the bike that dominated the 2002 MotoGP series with 14 wins from 16 races. “The bike is very challenging and totally different from the SP-2 I rode back in the States. I still have to get more comfortable on it and find the limits but it’s still early days and I feel more confident with every outing.

“I’m super excited about 2003,” he added, “and I know it will be a great learning period for me. It’s truly a dream come true to go racing MotoGP on a factory Honda and being teamed with Rossi is an honour. The guy’s the World Champ but still seems to be level headed! I’m sure I can learn a lot from him and I hope it will be fun at the same time!”

Hayden and Rossi have a hectic testing schedule in the build-up to the 2003 MotoGP series, which, with new teams, new riders and new sponsors, is seen by many as potentially the most exciting season ever in the 54-year history of world championship motorcycle racing.