[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 112 (Thursday, June 29, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E921]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF NICKY HAYDEN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRETT GUTHRIE

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 2017

  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of my 
constituent, Nicky Hayden, an international motorcycle racer who 
tragically passed away following a bicycle accident in Italy last month 
at the age of thirty-five. Nicky, known around the world as the 
``Kentucky Kid,'' was a beloved member of the Owensboro community.
  Nicky was riding by age three, and he followed in his older brother's 
footsteps to begin a career in racing when he was just sixteen years 
old and attending Owensboro Catholic High School. He won his first AMA 
Grand National Championship in 1999. In 2002, he shared a podium with 
both of his brothers, Tommy and Roger Lee at the Springfield IT race. 
Eventually he joined the Honda Repsol MotoGP team in 2003 and won the 
MotoGP world title in 2006. He continued to race in international 
competitions in the years that followed, and was competing in the Motul 
Italian Round in May before he passed away.
  In his personal life, Nicky was a son, a brother, and a fiance. And 
he always considered Owensboro home, traveling back and forth from 
there to his international races.
  Nicky's favorite bible verse was Proverbs 14:23: ``All hard work 
brings a profit, but mere talk only leads to poverty.'' While the 
community continues mourning our loss, we can all be grateful that we 
were lucky enough to have shared this earth with Nicky. I am grateful 
for his passion for life and his dedication to his family and hometown 
community of Owensboro. We will miss him.

                          ____________________