Nicky Hayden’s Legacy: Mark Calitri on How a World Champion Still Brings Visitors to Owensboro

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 Nearly 20 years after Nicky Hayden became MotoGP World Champion, his impact is still being felt in Owensboro.

Owensboro Living recently featured Nicky’s championship legacy and included comments from Mark Calitri, President and CEO of Visit Owensboro, about what that legacy still means to the community.

Mark Calitri told the magazine, “Everywhere he raced, people knew exactly where he was from, and he proudly carried the name Owensboro with him.”

That connection is still real today. Visit Owensboro regularly hears from visitors looking for the Nicky Hayden statue, the Hayden brothers’ Walk of Fame plaque and information about the annual memorial ride.

As Mark Calitri explained, some visitors come to Owensboro specifically because of Nicky. Others discover his story while they are here for a tournament, convention, festival or river cruise.

One story in the article says a lot about Nicky. The morning after winning the world championship, he got up early and went running.

He had reached the top of the world and went right back to work.

That may be one of the best explanations for why Nicky Hayden is still remembered around the world and why Owensboro is still proud to call him one of our own.

Read the full Owensboro Living feature, “Nicky Hayden’s Championship Legacy Lives On.”

Nicky Hayden Legacy


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