Here in the United States, we know all of the Hayden brothers fairly well, Tommy, Nicky and Roger Lee. All of them are great motorcycle racers, but Nicky is the one that has become internationally famous, and achieved the most success, so far.
The 2004 AMA Supersport championship was won by the oldest brother, Tommy Hayden, on his Kawasaki. Things have not come quite so easily to Tommy Hayden as they have to the middle brother, Nicky. Nicky was successful almost immediately after turning pro, while Tommy struggled for several years.
If you ask the Hayden brothers, they will say Tommy is the best rider (even Nicky would admit this). His natural ability and cunning on the race track brought him his first championship in the cut throat supersport class (probably, the toughest class in the AMA this past year).
Maybe the gremlins that have been holding Tommy back have now let him loose, and more championships will follow. We wouldn’t be surprised at all. Kawasaki will have Tommy back for 2005 in an as-yet-undetermined AMA racing class.
