Nicky Wins!!!

Go USA! If any of you follow motorcycle racing (which most of you probably don't) you are sure to know that Nicky beat Rossi this weekend in the final race in Valencia. It has been an exciting season! It came down to Nicky Hayden and the best motorcycle racer in the world, Valentino Rossi, from Italy, who has won every year since 2001. Nicky had the points lead coming out of the U.S. Grand Prix, but it seemed week after week his lead slipped as Valentino Rossi gradually moved up the points pole, and week after week, Nicky kept making mistakes. It was close last week in Portugal when it all went wrong! Nicky had been doing great all weekend during practice and qualifying and felt strong and ready for the race. He was sure he could get some points back so he would be more ready for the final race in Valencia, when it went all bad. His teammate Danny Pedrosa crashed and took Nicky out with him! Check out this footage. You can see the crash and how upset Nicky gets, who by the way is usually very mild tempered. The infuriating thing is instead of running over to help Nicky pick up his bike, Danny just throws his arms in the air and walks away, which leaves Nicky no chance to get back in the race. A DNF (did not finish) costs a lot points, especially when Nicky had so few to spare.

Then came the final race of the season, Valencia. Nicky was starting in the second row ..not good for our American, especially with Rossi in the first line. The start was quick and Nicky was fast, he quickly got into second while Rossi got stuck in seventh. It was so exciting, it looked like Nicky had a chance after all, but Rossi is an amazing rider, and had the whole race to catch up. Then in his attempt to get closer to Nicky, Rossi fell!!! No one could believe it! ROSSI FELL!! He quickly got up but couldn't make it past 13th place. All Nicky had to do was ride a safe but steady pace and the championship was his. And that is precisely what he did. He dropped down to third but maintained a steady speed and ended up winning the Championship 5 points ahead of Rossi. Check out the video below in the post titled Valencia Race! It is great, you get to see cut throat racing, Rossi falling, and the end is the best!! Nicky is so overwhelmed with emotion he can barely ride his motorcycle. Then to show what a classy guy Rossi is, he comes up to Nicky, pats him on the back and shakes his hand. To give you some reference while watching the video Nicky is number 69 on the Repsol Honda and Rossi "The Doctor" is number 46 on the Camel Yamaha.