American World Superbike Honda rider Nicky Hayden, hit by a car in a bicycle accident in Italy last week, has died of his injuries, the Italian hospital where he was treated said Monday.
Hayden, 36, who won the 2006 MotoGP world title, suffered severe chest and head injuries in the accident, which happened while he was training on his bicycle in central Italy, south of the seaside resort of Rimini.
Photographs published by local media outlets after Wednesday’s crash showed substantial damage to the front windscreen of the car and the bicycle.
Hayden, nicknamed “The Kentucky Kid”, raced for Honda in MotoGP team from 2003 to 2015, before moving to the Superbike World Championship for the 2016 season.
Hayden won just three grands prix in MotoGP – all in 2005-06 – but he famously took the world title that season after fighting tooth-and-nail with Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha.
His death comes exactly a month after veteran Italian professional cyclist Michele Scarponi was killed after being hit by a van while out on a training ride on roads near his home.
