becoming a professional motorcycle racer

Michael also competed in Formula USA Series on a Team Valvoline Suzuki GSXR 1100, finishing 2nd in 1995, 4th in 1994, 3rd in 1993, 2nd in 1992 and 6th in 1991. During that period, Michael had a win-to-crash ratio of 51 to 1, the best in motorcycle endurance racing history to date. While with Team Suzuki Endurance, Michael co-rode in 63 endurance races, winning 51 and taking 5 National Endurance Championships. Michael won multiple WERA national sprint championships from the late eighties to the early nineties. He quickly became a frontrunner in CMRA, WERA, Formula USA and Suzuki Cup contingency racing, and his list of racing accomplishments are impressive. They sold the business and tried to retire Bob, but that wasn't going to happen, so together they started M4 Performance Exhaust in 1997.Īfter 10 years of riding motocross in Texas, then a year of Formula Renault car racing in France, Michael started road racing motorcycles in 1986. Bob and his three sons worked closely together for close to 25 years running TFI. In 1972, Bob started a company called Tube Forming Inc., or TFI.

Hayden's mother, Rose, also rode the Powder Puff class for five years.īorn and raised in Dallas, Texas, the youngest son of Bob and Frances Martin, with two older brothers, Robert and Richard, who he says taught him everything he knows today. Their father, Earl, was a dirt track racer for twenty years. Hayden turned pro in 1994 and is still a regular competitor in the Grand National Flat Track series during weekends when he is not road racing. Tommy was born and raised in Owensboro, Kentucky, where he currently resides. Tommy is an American professional motorcycle racer and oldest brother to racers Nicky and Roger Lee. On Septemat Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Hayden clinched the AMA 600 Supersport championship after finishing runner-up twice during the 20 seasons. He piloted the Kawasaki ZX-RR to a tenth-place finish, scoring six points for Kawasaki Motors Racing. In July 2007, Hayden made his MotoGP début as a wild card for Kawasaki at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Roger is an American professional motorcycle racer, the younger brother of both 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden and AMA Superbike Championship rider Tommy Hayden. He won the AMA title in 2002 and was approached by the Repsol Honda team to race for them in MotoGP. He began his road racing career in the CMRA before progressing to the AMA Supersport Championship and then to the AMA Superbike Championship.

Hayden began racing motorcycles at a young age. Nicky (nicknamed 'The Kentucky Kid') was an American professional motorcycle racer who won the MotoGP World Championship in 2006.

Becoming a professional motorcycle racer