Casey Stoner and the Desmosedici GP7 were in mesmeric form during the 2007 MotoGP season. A commanding World Championship win ended a long spell of Japanese dominance, as Ducati became the first European constructor to supply a title-winning bike since 1974. To follow that victorious campaign, Ducati’s answer was to add another MotoGP World Champion to its rider ranks. The Owensboro-born Nicky Hayden, known as “The Kentucky Kid,” joined Stoner in a star-studded, two-pronged attack for 2009, replacing the outgoing Marco Melandri, who had struggled in his sole season on the Ducati factory bike.

Hayden joined from Honda, whom he had represented in MotoGP since 2003. Aged just 21 in his debut season, he moved into premier class racing from unconventional beginnings in American superbikes and most notably beat Valentino Rossi to the championship in 2006. The Kentucky-born Hayden had endeared himself to the English-speaking side of the MotoGP paddock and quickly drew comparisons to charismatic Australian and five-time champion Mick Doohan, who had retired in 1999. Curiously, it is alleged that Hayden had the opportunity to sign for Ducati for 2007, but retained the #1 plate with Honda, which only cemented his stay with the Japanese constructor. However, the following years were frustrating for both Hayden and Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa, prompting Hayden’s eventual switch.

After the last race of the 2008 season in Valencia, Spain, Hayden’s six-season association with Repsol Honda ended, as the American was shown to the crowd as a Ducati rider in anticipation of the following season. In MotoGP tradition, the next year’s bikes were presented for testing after the final race, at which point Hayden got an on-track introduction to the outgoing GP8 and the bike he would ride in his first season for Ducati, the GP9. Fittingly, the GP8 was adorned in custom “Stars and Stripes” livery in homage to the rider’s proud American roots. In accordance with the sensitivities around Hayden’s transfer between teams, the livery featured no sponsors save for Bridgestone logos, making for a clean and timeless design that is recalled fondly by many.

The motorcycle on offer was acquired as a dismantled but authentic Ducati Desmosedici GP8, sourced from the factory in February 2010. Currently built and offered in show bike configuration, utilizing a July 2008-built frame, a new and unused engine crankcase, a race-used Hayden fuel tank, and other Hayden and original Ducati MotoGP parts, all being acquired at the same time in 2010. With the correct provision of parts, it would be possible to return this bike to the racetrack in the future, if so desired. With so few GP8s in circulation or indeed in existence, this offers a unique opportunity to acquire a unique piece of Ducati history.