Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

American Honda’s 20-year-old Nicky Hayden said on Friday, August 10 that he would most likely have post-season surgery to fix a numbing problem in his right hand caused by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Speaking via cell phone from a photo shoot at a Honda test facility in the desert near Mojave, California, Hayden said, “My hand has kind of been going tingly on me. As practice wears on or the race, my pointer and my middle finger and thumb are going numb on me. So they (physicians at Dr. Arthur Ting’s office) did a test, and I have Carpal Tunnel in my wrist. I guess it’s real common for racers to get it from all of the abuse the wrist takes. That’s been bothering me lately. It bothers me worse at some tracks and not so much at others.”

Hayden did not seem worried about the surgery; he’s discussed it with former World Champions Kevin Schwantz and Freddie Spencer, who both have had the same procedure done. Schwantz has actually had Carpel Tunnel Surgery on each wrist…twice.

Hayden also mentioned that his left wrist still isn’t 100% following surgery to screw the scaphoid bone back together in March. Hayden said he planned to get an MRI at the end of the season to “check things out.”

Meanwhile, Hayden continued to endure two days of the part of a factory rider’s job that isn’t exactly glamorous. Outside still and video photography are dependent on natural light, and the best light is just after dawn and just before dusk, the result being that photo shoots involve extremely long hours. “My wake-up call this morning was 3:45 a.m.,” said Hayden. “We met in the hotel lobby at 4:15. We didn’t back to the hotel last night until almost 9:00 p.m.”

The location of the photo shoot doesn’t ease matters as the daytime temperatures can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in the Mojave desert. And as for the security at Honda’s top-secret test facility, “I think I could get into Fort Knox easier than it is to get into this place,” said Hayden.