Matthew Miles

The AMA has renamed its Horizon Award in honor of the first recipient, the late Nicky Hayden. The Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Awards will be presented annually to the top amateurs in dirt track, motocross, and road racing. “Nicky Hayden epitomized the spirit of the AMA Horizon Award,” said AMA Board of Directors Chair Maggie McNally-Bradshaw. “Hayden was a true sportsman and a stellar representative of not just American motorcycling, but all Americans on the world stage. “His ascent to the pinnacle of the sport was marked by the utmost character and class, and it all began on the same Midwestern ovals where today’s amateur dirt trackers race for experience and pride.”

• 2017 Nicky Hayden AMA Dirt Track Horizon Award will be presented on July 4 in Du Quoin, Illinois, on the final day of the AMA Dirt Track Grand Championship
• 2017 Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award will be presented on August 5 at the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee
• 2017 Nicky Hayden AMA Road Racing Horizon Award will be handed out on November 5 following the AMA Road Race Grand Championship at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabam

Hayden suffered fatal injuries last month when he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle in Italy. At the time of his death, the 2002 AMA Superbike champion was competing in World Superbike after spending 13 full seasons in MotoGP. The Hayden family issued the following statement with respect to the renaming of the award: “Nicky loved racing and he was proud of his roots, which included those early days of dirt tracking in youth and amateur events around the country. Nicky would be honored to know that his memory will help inspire future generations of competitors to race for their dreams.” AMA Track Racing Manager Ken Saillant presented the award to Hayden in 1997. “I am humbled to have witnessed the professional and personal growth of Nicky Hayden from youth dirt tracker to AMA Superbike champion and then MotoGP world champion,” he said. “Each year, AMA amateur racing ushers a new class into the pro ranks, and while only an elite few can expect to match Nicky’s professional accomplishments, each one possesses the same aspirations of world-class success that drove Nicky to the top.”