Another Hayden joins the MotoGP circus

Roger Lee Hayden, brother of current MotoGP world champion Nicky, will ride a factory Ninja ZX-RR at the Red Bull US Grand Prix later this month, as a wildcard rider.

Already representing the firm in both the AMA Superbike and Supersport series in America, the 24-year-old from Kentucky will race a third bike for the Kawasaki Racing Team at the event in California, alongside regular riders Randy de Puniet and Australian Anthony West.

Hayden rode Shinya Nakano's 2006 Kawasaki 990cc MotoGP bike during a test at Valencia at the end of last season and also enjoyed a brief opportunity to ride the new ZX-RR at Japanese circuit, Autopolis, recently. With his considerable experience of the Laguna Seca track, the team hopes he'll raise their profile in front of a knowledgeable and enthusiastic American crowd and have some fun on the powerful 800cc machine while he's at it.

The young Hayden boasts an impressive pedigree. As part of the Hayden family racing dynasty, he was put on a motorcycle at six and began racing just a couple of years later, eventually turning professional in 1999. He came second in the AMA Supersport championship in both 2004 and 2005, scored fifth in that series last year and is currently running second in the 2007 title fight. In 2006, he won Rookie of the Year in the AMA Superbike championship. Furthermore, he's done well at Laguna Seca in the past, including gaining a Supersport win there in 2004.

Both AMA Superbike and Supersport will feature as support races at the Monterey circuit over the course of the MotoGP weekend and Hayden will ride his Kawasaki ZX-6R in the latter, in addition to his wildcard ride.

Hayden said: "The test last week went pretty well and I felt comfortable on the Ninja ZX-RR straight away. It'll definitely take a bit of getting used to but I'm really grateful for the support of Kawasaki, who flew me all the way to Japan so I'd already be a little bit familiar with the bike before the race. It's a lot smaller than the bikes I normally ride, and revs a lot higher, but it handles really well and I feel I made the transition quite smoothly. It's a dream come true to race a MotoGP bike at Laguna Seca and it's been years since I raced against Nicky. I'm not putting any pressure on myself: I'd just like it to be a positive experience and if I can score some points, that would be awesome. With quite a few Americans on the grid, the crowd will certainly have something to cheer about, plus my family and friends are going to come along so it should all be pretty cool."