When Nicky Hayden was a kid in Owensboro, Ky., motorcycles were his passion and his heroes were athletes named Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz.
“There was a time when I was young that American riders dominated the world racing circuit,” Hayden said earlier this year.
“I dream of that happening again.”
More specifically, Hayden dreamed of himself being the world's best motorcycle road racer.
And today he is.
The 25-year-old Hayden on Sunday became the youngest rider ever crowned the world champion, as well as the seventh American to earn the distinction.
Hayden captured the MotoGP championship with a third-place finish at Valencia, Spain, in a race that saw Italy's Valentino Rossi fall with a sixth straight world championship all but wrapped up.
CHECKERED FLAGS
Tony Stewart: Claims the IROC season championship and wins the NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Atlanta, giving him two wins in the first seven legs of the Chase for the Championship (although he isn't qualified to win the title).
Jimmie Johnson: Finishes second at Atlanta a week after winning at Martinsville to leap from seventh to second in the standings. The El Cajon native trails Matt Kenseth by 26 points.
Kevin Harvick: Already-crowned NASCAR Busch Series champion has won three of the last five races and has eight wins on the season.
RED FLAGS
Open-Wheel Racing: Will the last driver out please close the gates? Juan Montoya made his NASCAR debut last weekend, promising American driver A.J. Allmendinger has bolted CART for NASCAR with a race yet to run and now reigning Indy 500 champ and IRL titlist Sam Hornish Jr. announces he wants to test for NASCAR.
Ron Capps: Despite five wins on the season, Carlsbad driver slips 71 points behind 13-time NHRA Funny Car champ John Force with a first-round loss in Las Vegas.
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Hayden became the first American to win the championship since Kenny Roberts Jr. won his title in 2000 – the season before Rossi began his run.
Kenny Roberts Sr. was the first American rider to claim the title in 1978, triggering a run of 13 championships won by U.S. riders in a span of 16 seasons.
After the senior Roberts won three straight world championships, Spencer won the 1983 and '85 titles. In between, Lawson won the first of his four titles in 1984, a run that ended with back-to-back championships in 1988-89.
Rainey started his three-year run as world champion in 1990. Then came Schwantz in 1993, Roberts in 2000 and finally Hayden.
“When you dedicate your life to something and the dream comes true, it feels so good,” said Hayden, who led through much of the MotoGP season.
But he turned the lead to Rossi in the penultimate round at Estoril, Portugal, when he crashed into the fallen bike of Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa.
Given the fact that Rossi held an eight-point lead going into the season finale and wasn't given to making mistakes, Hayden knew his title hopes had all but evaporated.
And it didn't help that Rossi won the pole for the season finale at Spain.
“When I went down at the beginning of the Estoril race, I thought my dream was over,” said Hayden. “but I just didn't give up. Anything can happen in racing. You just keep fighting to the end.”
Hayden started third in Spain, but swept past pole-sitter Rossi going into the first turn.
Still, Hayden knew that wouldn't be enough. All Rossi had to do to claim the title was ride close to Hayden. Then on the fifth lap, Rossi fell.
“I didn't believe it when I came around and saw 'Rossi P19' on the pit board,” said Hayden. “Then it went to P17, P15, P14 and it was a tough situation again because I knew there were probably going to be a couple of riders pull over for him. You can never count Rossi out.”
Through the heart of the race, Hayden considered attacking the two riders ahead of him if Rossi continued to move through the pack. But if Rossi quit gaining, he didn't want to take any unnecessary risks.
“I didn't really know where Rossi was,” said Hayden. “Then my pit board flashed 'OK,' ”
Rossi's Yamaha was functional, but damaged. The Italian wouldn't be making any late charge. He held on to finish 13th in the race, but lost the title by five points to Hayden.
Hayden went to Europe in 2003 after winning the 2002 AMA Superbike championship at the age of 21. He spent three seasons as Rossi's Honda teammate before the Italian switched to Yamaha.
Hayden finished fifth in the 2003 MotoGP championships and was third in 2005, scoring his first victory in the United States Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. One of his two 2006 wins also came on the Monterey Peninsula.
Roberts Jr. finished seventh in the final standings with Ramona's John Hopkins eighth.
Bill Center: (619)