AUSTIN, Texas -- The "Kentucky Kid" is gone, but his No. 69 will have a permanent place in MotoGP.
The series has retired the number of former champion Nicky Hayden, who died in 2017 after a bicycling accident in Italy.
Born and raised in Owensboro, Kentucky, Hayden used the number throughout his career from 2003-2016. He won the MotoGP championship with Repsol Honda in 2006 in an epic duel with seven-time champion Valentino Rossi that wasn't decided until the final race.
Hayden is also the last American rider to win motorcycle racing's top championship.