Perhaps one man epitomizes the American racing dream more than any other.

Nicky Hayden rose from local Midwestern dirt ovals to the pinnacle of the sport—MotoGP—and won, claiming the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. Along the way Hayden won the 2002 AMA Superbike Championship, the 1999 AMA 600 Supersport Championship and was the 1999 AMA Flat Track Rookie of the Year.

Hayden passed away on May 22, 2017, as a result of injuries sustained when he was hit by a car while training on his bicycle in Italy. A month later, the AMA Board of Directors renamed the AMA Horizon Award, which is presented to standout amateur racers who are going pro, in Hayden’s memory. Hayden received the inaugural AMA Horizon Award in 1997 as a result of his stellar amateur flat-track career.

Now, the AMA and American Honda are commissioning two custom motorcycles that celebrate the life and career of the professional road racer and flat tracker.

“Nicky Hayden was the consummate American motorcycle racer,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “Moreover, he represented the best of sportsmanship and character, and never forgot his roots, even when competing on the world stage against living legends. It’s our pleasure to work with American Honda to pay tribute to Hayden’s competitive accomplishments and exceptional class.”

American Honda is donating two motorcycles to the project, a 2018 Honda CBR1000RR and a 2018 Honda XR650L.

“Race fans the world over loved Nicky for his charm, his beautiful smile, and his willingness to stop and talk to anyone and everyone. Those of us who were lucky enough to know him and work with him loved him as well,” said Keth Dowdle, manager of experiential marketing at American Honda.

“Nicky was a true champion in every sense of the word,” Dowdle said. “He was humble and gracious even after all of his success. We all miss him dearly. The bikes that we donated to the AMA represent one of several projects that we’re working on to celebrate Nicky’s life for years to come.”

The Hayden family expressed pride that Nicky Hayden’s memory continues to inspire others.

“Nicky loved competing at every level, but never forgot that he got his start in amateur dirt track and road racing,” said Earl Hayden, Nicky’s father. “Nicky would be pleased that his memory might motivate the next generation of AMA racers who will one day climb to the world stage.”

The CBR1000RR will be decked out in a full Repsol Honda livery, while the XR650L will be heavily modified in a street-tracker motif by award-winning custom bike builder Tony Prust of Analog Cycles in Chicago.

Throughout 2019, the bikes will tour at select events and be on display at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, before ultimately being raffled to raise funds for the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, the 501c3 nonprofit that raises money to support the Hall of Fame.