Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Riding a 2002 Ducati 998RS, HMC Racing’s Doug Chandler turned the fastest lap Tuesday morning at Laguna Seca, to start three days of AMA team testing. With only a few small changes to the set-up that Ben Bostrom used to win both of the 2001 World Superbike races at Laguna Seca, Chandler turned a 1:27.3 in Tuesday morning’s mild weather conditions to lead all times. Wearing Cagiva leathers from his 1993 Grand Prix season, Chandler said that he was still getting used to the extra torque that his new Ducati produces versus the Kawasaki ZX-7RR that he rode for the last several years.

One thing that Chandler didn’t have to reacquaint himself with was his new HMC Crew Chief, Gary Medley. HMC team owner Mitch Hansen told Roadracingworld.com, “Everything’s going great. I think the chemistry is already there.” Hansen added that former Pascal Picotte Crew Chief Mark Sutton has been reassigned to the Team Manager role.

Team Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin did some laps this morning but said that he was approaching the test with a “wait-and-see” attitude. Mladin said the left elbow that he injured in a qualifying crash at Daytona was getting better but was still sore and stiff, causing him difficulty during braking and when trying to hang off of the left side of his bike. Mladin was still able to turn a time of 1:28.4 for second-fastest Superbike lap time.

Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom claimed the third-fastest Superbike lap with a 1:29.1 on ZX-7RR Tuesday morning.

According to their respective teams, both Bostrom and Chandler will run in the World Superbike races at Laguna Seca.

Bostrom’s teammate Tommy Hayden led all 600cc Supersport times with a 1:30.4 on his Dunlop-equipped Kawasaki ZX-6R.

Teams present at Laguna Seca include Honda, Erion Honda, Bruce Transportation Group, Team Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki, Yamaha, Graves Motorsports Yamaha, Kawasaki and HMC Ducati.

Tuesday morning’s unofficial lap times:

1. Doug Chandler, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.3
2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.4
3. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:29.1
4. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:30.4
5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.9
6. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:31.0
7. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:31.05
8. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.05
9. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.06
10. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:32.19
11. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:33.3
12. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR929RR, 1:34.57

Note: Honda’s Miguel Duhamel, Nicky Hayden and Kurtis Roberts took to the track for the first time moments before the lunch break.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

American Honda’s Nicky Hayden once again set the pace for AMA Superbike racers testing at Laguna Seca Raceway Wednesday with a best lap time of 1:26.224. Hayden used a 555-compound, or “soft”, Dunlop race tire on his RC51 to set the fast time late in the final day of testing at the Monterey track for the Honda teams.

“It went okay,” said Hayden. “It didn’t go great, or whatever, but we did learn a couple of things. Actually for a while today, I wasn’t making any progress and was in the same rut all day. Then right there at the end I dropped about three-quarters of a second. The bike actually feels better than me. There’s more speed in the bike right now. I need to find the time in me more than the bike right now.”

Lap times for nearly every rider were slower than the times they turned during testing in much colder weather in January. “I’m not sure why we were a little bit slower,” said Hayden. “It seemed like everybody was a little bit slower. Maybe something from all of this construction around here with the track, maybe it’s a little dirty or something. I’m not sure. Everybody was definitely a little slower.

“I couldn’t necessarily feel that the track was slower. At first when I got here, I couldn’t believe how much grip there was. But coming from Daytona, a track were there’s next to no grip, of course it’s gonna feel like it has a lot of grip. The track must be down a little bit because I was almost 0.8-second slower than I went in January.”

Kurtis Roberts posted the second-fastest lap time, a 1:26.252, with a 587-compound, or “medium”, rear Dunlop on his Erion Honda RC51.

Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom rebounded from his mid-day crash in turn six, improved his best time to a 1:26.5 but said that it was “disgusting” that he knew the problem that was holding him back but that he couldn’t find a fix.

Doug Chandler and his new HMC Ducati crew worked with details like handlebar and footpeg position on Chandler’s new bike to get him more comfortable. Chandler’s 1:26.6 was good enough for fourth-fastest.

Anthony Gobert crashed in turn two on fresh tires Wednesday afternoon while trying for a better lap time. Gobert lowsided without injuring himself or his Yamaha YZF-R7 and returned to make a lap at 1:26.78 later in the day.

“I should’ve given the tires another lap to warm up,” said Gobert after riding his bike back to the temporary pit lane being used during construction on the normal pit lane.

Team Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates spent a lot of time in the pits Wednesday while technicians from Showa worked with his forks, but Yates still found enough track time to turn a sixth-fastest 1:27.06 on his GSX-R750.

Even without a full day to test Wednesday due to changed flight plans brought on by Honda’s decision to leave Laguna Seca a day early, Duhamel lapped at 1:27.17, the seventh-fastest Superbike time.

After turning approximately 35 laps on Tuesday, Mat Mladin stopped riding after only eight laps on Wednesday with a best effort of 1:27.7. “My elbow is a lot worse today,” Mladin told reporters. “It’s sort of puffing back up and just hurting. I can’t bend it very well when I’m in my leathers. I’ll see how it feels tomorrow, but it’s all about rehabilitation now.” Mladin said he has been getting two to three hours of physical therapy every day since the Wednesday following the Daytona 200.

The third Yoshimura rider, Jamie Hacking, jumped on his Superbike for only handful of laps late Wednesday, enough time to turn a 1:28.4.

In the world of the 600cc Supersport riders, the 1:29.6 laps that Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden and Yamaha’s Anthony Gobert recorded Wednesday morning stood up for the fastest Supersport laps of the day. Hacking’s 1:30.0 was good enough for third-fastest ahead of Erion Honda’s Mike Hale’s 1:30.4, Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster’s 1:30.72 and Jake Zemke’s 1:31.2.

Kawasaki’s Tony Meiring and Bruce Transportation Group’s Alex Gobert rounded out the Supersport lap times with a 1:31.55 and a 1:31.74 respectively. Both teenagers have improved their times steadily during the two days of the test.

The five Formula Xtreme riders at Laguna Seca became more active on Wednesday with Erion Honda’s Roger Lee Hayden turning a 1:28.45 on his new CBR954RR for fast lap honors.

“The new bike definitely feels good,” said the youngest Hayden brother. “It has a lot more stability than the other bike. It’s quite a bit different and took a little while to get used to. The 929 would come out of a corner and wants to spin and both ends want to swap. This bike feels real straight. It doesn’t spin at all. It feels like I’m putting. I’m pretty stoked and can’t wait for Fontana.”

Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Buckmaster was second-fastest among the Formula Xtreme riders with a 1:28.60. Graves’ Jeff Carter said that Buckmaster rarely did more than two flying laps at a time in between stops to make new changes. Buckmaster said that his Formula Xtreme testing was as much a matter of finding a good baseline for him and his YZF-R7 with a YZF-R1 engine hybrid as continuing to build his relationship with his new Crew Chief John Asher.

With a best lap time of 1:28.67, Bruce Transportation Group Honda’s Zemke echoed Roger Lee Hayden’s thoughts on the new CBR954RR, saying that the new bike’s chassis allowed it to get much more rear traction.

According to Erion Honda Crew Chief Rick Hobbs, both of Erion’s CBR954RR Formula Xtreme bikes suffered electrical problems Tuesday. The problems were related to the custom wiring harness that the ECU and data acquisition systems share. The damage done to Hayden’s bike was fixed. Due to a lack of spares, Mike Hale’s CBR was done for the test. As a result of his bike’s problems and because he spent some time during the January test with a CBR929/954RR hybrid, Hale spent most of his day riding his CBR600F4i. Hale did manage to get 20 minutes with Hayden’s bike at the end of the day to see how the finished product performed. Hale’s one flying lap on Hayden’s CBR954RR was a 1:29.76.

Likewise, Bruce Group’s Alex Gobert was unable to get much time on his 2001 CBR929RR Formula Xtreme bike due to a persistent oil leak, but the youngest Gobert brother was able to get a few laps on Zemke’s CBR954RR before the Honda teams packed up and left Laguna Seca Wednesday evening. Although he will race on a CBR954RR starting at the California Speedway AMA National, Gobert’s best time of 1:30.13 was turned while riding the 2001 CBR929RR.

Testing will continue with Yamaha, Graves Motorsports Yamaha, Kawasaki, HMC Ducati and Team Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki on Thursday.

Best unofficial lap times from Wednesday:

1. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:26.22
2. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:26.25
3. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:26.5
4. Doug Chandler, Ducati 998RS, 1:26.6
5. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:26.78
6. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.06
7. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:27.17
8. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.7
9. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.4
10. Roger Lee Hayden, CBR954RR, 1:28.45
11. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1/R7, 1:28.60
12. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR954RR, 1:28.67
13. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:29.6
14. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:29.6
15. Mike Hale, Honda CBR954RR, 1:29.76
16. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.0
17. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR929RR, 1:30.13
18. Mike Hale, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:30.4
19. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.72
20. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:31.2
21. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:31.55
22. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:31.74

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

American Honda’s Nicky Hayden was again the fastest rider Wednesday morning during AMA team testing at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Yamaha’s Anthony Gobert and Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden shared the fastest lap time among the 600cc Supersport riders present, while Bruce Transportation Group Honda’s Jake Zemke remained the fastest Formula Xtreme racer at the test.

Even though the weather was near perfect, with a cloudless sky and temperatures in the 70s, few riders bettered their times from day one of the test. Most of the AMA racers on hand worked to improve their set-ups or continued to evaluate parts rather than shooting for single fast lap times.

Nicky Hayden’s 1:27.0 was slower than his best of 1:26.5 from Tuesday but was still good enough to lead all times Wednesday morning. With the majority within one second of Wednesday’s best, Nicky Hayden’s time was closely followed by Kurtis Roberts, Miguel Duhamel, Mat Mladin, Aaron Yates, Doug Chandler. The one exception was Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom, who admitted that he was struggling.

Crashing just before lunch time Wednesday, Bostrom became the first rider to fall down during the test. Resulting in only light damage to his ZX-7RR and none to his body, Bostrom’s crash was a true close call.

“I lifted the rear end a little too much going in there (turn six) and couldn’t get the thing settled before going into the corner. Then I couldn’t hold my line and there’s not a lot of (run-off) room in that corner. I ended up hitting the wall, glancing off it, and falling down. I’m alright.”

Bostrom rode the bike back into the pits with so little damage that his teammate Tommy Hayden didn’t even know that Bostrom had crashed.

Honda, Erion Honda and Bruce Transportation Group Honda will leave Laguna Seca Wednesday evening, leaving Yamaha, Grave Motorsports Yamaha, Kawasaki, HMC Ducati and Team Blimpie Yoshmiura Suzuki to finish on Thursday.

Wednesday morning unofficial lap times:

1. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:27.0
2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.1
3. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:27.2
4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:27.2
5. Doug Chandler, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.54
6. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.7
7. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:28.1
8. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR954RR, 1:28.4
9. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR954RR, 1:28.9
10. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:29.6
11. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:29.6
12. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.0
13. Mike Hale, Honda CBR600F4I, 1:30.6
14. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.7
15. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600F4I, 1:31.4
16. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600F4I, 1:31.7
17. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:32.1

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Universal Studios/American Honda’s Nicky Hayden was the fastest of all riders in AMA team testing Tuesday at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca with a lap of 1:26.54 on his Dunlop-race-tire-equipped RC51 Superbike. Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden led all 600cc Supersport riders with a 1:29.7 on his Joey Lombardo-tuned ZX-6R, while Bruce Transportation Group Honda’s Jake Zemke posted the fastest Formula Xtreme lap time on his 2002 CBR954RR with a 1:28.0.

“I was actually surprised to be fastest,” admitted Nicky Hayden, the AMA Superbike points leader. “The day didn’t really go that good. We got on the track late, but I almost got 69 laps in. I always try to end with 69 laps, if I’m close.

“Right at the end of the day, I did some low 1:27s on a tire that had over race-distance on it. I thought I was going to put on a new tire and get into the low 1:26s, but I kind of got frustrated. I tried harder and went slower. This afternoon, I think I rode too hard and was over charging some of the corners. I think tomorrow I need to slow down a little bit and smooth out.”

Nicky Hayden’s fastest lap time and Kurtis Robert’s second-best lap time (1:26.71) were thought by Honda’s crew to have come while chasing HMC Ducati’s Doug Chandler. Chandler finished the day with the third-fastest lap time, 1:26.75 (although the Honda team timed Chandler at a 1:26.4), and the biggest smile of the day.

“It was a better first day than I expected,” revealed Chandler. “I expected to be within one second of the fast guys, not be with them. I still feel rusty. I’m still in good shape. I didn’t change anything in my normal winter-time routine. It’s just these Superbikes are so unique that nothing helps you stay sharp with these things. But I think I will improve with each time I get on the bike and start building up my confidence. This bike is so nice; the way it makes power is really good.”

Chandler also said that having Gary Medley as his Crew Chief was a big plus, adding, “It just makes the transition easier. I mean, having somebody that I’ve worked with before really helps.”

HMC Ducati is planning to issue a press release on Medley joining the HMC crew before the week is out.

Yamaha’s Anthony Gobert made the fourth-fastest lap (1:26.78) of the test on his YZF-R7 while trying to dial in his new Ohlins suspension. Gobert said that he is still less than 100% fit following his Daytona Supersport crash.

Fifth-fastest Superbike rider was Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom with a 1:27.0 on his ZX-7RR. Bostrom spent his day getting an even newer version of Ohlins’ gas-charged forks to work as well as the forks he used to win the 2001 AMA race at Laguna Seca.

Miguel Duhamel spent the first day of his test finding a normal baseline setting for the RC51 that he raced at Daytona and another baseline for the back-up RC51 that he and Roberts will share in 2002. Duhamel recorded the sixth-fastest lap with a 1:27.6 on Dunlop race tires.

Team Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin turned a 1:27.7 for the seventh-fastest time even though his injured left elbow is slowing his riding. Mladin said that he is having trouble when braking and accelerating out of left-hand corners.

Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates took his GSX-R750 Superbike out for five laps at the very end of the day with a best of 1:29.2. Jamie Hacking did not ride his Superbike Tuesday at Laguna Seca.

Tommy Hayden led all 600cc lap times despite spending much of his day in the pits. “We did a bunch of carburetor work today,” said Tommy Hayden. “We didn’t get a whole lot of laps in because that takes a lot of time making those changes and switching them in and out. I think we learned a lot off that, and tomorrow we’re going to start working on chassis set-up.”

The second-fastest Supersport rider was Hacking with a 1:29.9 in his first outing with new Crew Chief Tom Houseworth. Hacking’s teammate Yates tied for third-fastest with Bruce Transportation Group’s Jake Zemke at 1:30.0.

Of the five Formula Xtreme riders present at the test Tuesday, only two reported lap times to Roadracingworld.com. Zemke took the fast-lap honors with a 1:28.0 in his first outing on the new 2002 Honda CBR954RR. Zemke was followed closely by Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster’s 1:28.2 on his YZF-R1/R7 hybrid.

Both of the Erion Honda CBR954RRs ridden by Mike Hale and Roger Lee Hayden were sidelined by mechanical problems Tuesday afternoon. Without a CBR954RR to ride, Zemke’s Bruce Group teammate, Alex Gobert, rode a 2001-spec CBR929RR for only a few laps and did not offer a lap time.

Testing resumes Wednesday and is planned to continue through Thursday, but Honda’s Duhamel said that if Wednesday goes well for the Honda men, they may leave after day two of the test.

Tuesday’s best unofficial lap times:

1. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:26.54
2. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:26.71
3. Doug Chandler, Ducati 998RS, 1:26.75
4. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:26.78
5. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:27.0
6. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:27.6
7. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.7
8. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR954RR, 1:28.0
9. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1/R7, 1:28.2
10. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.2
11. Tommy Hayden , Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:29.7
12. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:29.9
13. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.0
14. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:30.0
15. Mike Hale, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:30.9
16. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.05
17. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.06
18. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:31.1
19. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:32.36
20. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:32.64

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

1993 500cc Grand Prix World Champion Kevin Schwantz raced in the Sea Otter Classic bicycle races at Laguna Seca March 21-24. Schwantz entered the Master 30+ Category 4/5 road race and finished 51st out of 150 entries. Starting on the Laguna Seca road course, the Sea Otter Classic 57-mile road race left the track to make three laps around Fort Ord before returning to finish on the racetrack. Schwantz’s time was three hours, nine minutes compared to the winner’s time of two hours, 43 minutes.

Schwantz also competed in the Sport Class 35-39 division of the Sobe Cross Country race and finished 21st out of 250 entries. Schwantz’s time in the mountain bike race was one hour, 21 minutes compared to the winner’s time of one hour, 13 minutes.

“I competed on two wheels for an entire weekend at Laguna Seca without falling off,” joked Schwantz Tuesday at Laguna Seca. “I think the last time I did that was in 1993 or something. It’s been a long time.”

From a press release:

WERA’s New N. Florida Region Kicks Off With A Bang

With the new North Florida racetrack for 2002 WERA added a North Florida Region to the Sportsman Series for 2002. This Region includes Roebling Road Raceway in Southeast Georgia and the North Florida track as well as the July Road Atlanta event and the traditional Cycle Jam at VIR. March 23/24 saw well over 225 riders converge on Roebling Road for the inaugural event for this Region.

Mother Nature cooperated and gave us blue skies and sunshine with perfect race weather in the 60s Saturday and 70s Sunday. Racing was good, accidents were few and 17 races on Sunday ended at 5:58 p.m. – a great weekend of racing for all who attended!

Some outstanding rides were put in by #99 Geoff May in the A Superstock and Formula 1 Expert Classes; #973 Jim Stroud in the C Superstock Class; #204 Jeff Belue in the B Superstock Class; #75 Sandy Noce in the Formula 2 Expert Class and #11 Giovanni Rojas took his first Expert win in the C Superbike Class. The Novice races saw some good racing as well. In C Superstock #71 Dave Weber too the win; Formula 2 saw #326 Kendall Davis take the win; #72 Jeff Walker took the C Superbike and B Superbike wins with #318 Keith Brooks taking the Formula 1 win.

Riders came from as far as Canada, Michigan and Wisconsin to compete with riders from the Southeast and many new riders up from Florida.

WERA would like to thank all the riders for a great job this weekend – the corner workers and Officials for helping make this such a smooth weekend for all!

From a press release:

March 29, 2002

Practice starts at 9:00 a.m.
Practice ends at 5:00 p.m.

March 30, 2002

Practice starts at 9:00 a.m.
Practice ends at 5:00 p.m.

March 31, 2002

8:30 a.m. Riders Meetings (at tech garage)
9:00 a.m. One round of practice; Open GP, Lightweight, Heavyweight, Middleweight

Race Schedule:

1. 250 GP/125 GP/Ducati 748 Cup/Formula Singles
2. 750 Superbike/Open Superbike/Open Superstock
3. Formula 40/500 Superstock
**Lunch Break**
4. Novice Race
5. 600 Superbike/Twins Heavy 750(cc)-Open
6. 750 Superstock/Twins Middle 501(cc)-749(cc)/500 Superbike
**15 Minute Break**
7. 600 Superstock/Aprilia 250
**15 Minute Break**
8. Open GP

For more information, call (877) 560-2233, (714) 669-1468, FAX (714) 669-1465, www.fastrackriders.com.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

There will be approximately 1500 linear feet of Airfence and Alpina air module protective barriers for the AMA races at California Speedway April 5-7. Andy Coffey, Director of Airfence Safety Systems Australia, was in Fontana, California, March 22 assembling the facility’s newly-acquired 500 feet of Airfence Bike product in preparation for the upcoming motorcycle events.

The latest 500 feet of Airfence Bike, together with the AMA’s 35 existing sections of Airfence and Alpina air module, bring the total amount of safety barriers available for use during the AMA Yamaha Superbike Challenge to nearly 1500 linear feet.

For more information about inflatable safety barriers, go to www.airfence.com, or to www.alpina.at.

* Air Fence is a registered trade mark of Airfence Safety Systems Australia.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.



This just in:

We have been looking for a way to get in touch with Nicky Hayden or the Hayden family. Our daughter is 9 years old and is crazy about Nicky. She met him at Road Atlanta on her 8th birthday. Nicky was more than gracious. He took the time to speak with her when surrounded by his teen friends. But, of course, she could mutter only one word. He asked how old she was today and she said “8”. We met his parents and were very impressed with their willingness to get our daughter a T-shirt of the Hayden boys. We lined up at the Honda transporter to get him to get an autographed poster and his mother Rose insisted that he sign the shirt even though it was against the rules. Our daughter had her picture made with him and he signed the shirt for her.

Long story short, she did a report in school on ‘A Fantastic Person’ and chose Nicky. It’s a really cute and I would like to send it to Rose or Nicky. If you could give me any ideas on fan clubs or any way that we could mail it to them, I would appreciate it greatly. Nicky, considering his age and his status in the racing world, is very grounded. Thanks for your time and I hope you can help.

P.S. You have the best publication on the market.

Thanks,
Mark & Michelle Horton


A Fantastic Person
By Lindsey Horton

I have met a fantastic person before. His name is Nicky Hayden. He is an 18-year-old famous motorcycle racer. He has raced since he was five years old. He has two brothers that also ride. they are Roger Lee Hayden and Tommy Hayden. I admire Nicky because he is a nice, responsible, caring motorcycle racer that loves his fans. I have two posters of him. One is autographed, one is not. He autographed my T-shirt and he autographed my book. My daddy’s building where he keeps his motorcycle has millions of motorcycle posters. I have a special place in there where I put his poster. I love and respect him. The best part is where it is close (to my) hometown. Another thing is when we went to see him it was my birthday. I love Nicky, he is my favorite rider.