Video: Josh Hayes 2012 Cycle News Rider of the Year

Paul Carruthers | December 24, 2012

A year ago Josh Hayes sat on the same couch in his off-season home in Oceanside, California, and seethed.

“I won the championship, but there’s still some numbers that just don’t sit well with me,” Hayes said almost exactly a year ago after barely beating Blake Young to earn his second AMA Superbike Championship. “I got my butt kicked. He’s 7-3 when you look at race wins. He won seven races; I won three. I don’t like that number. I don’t like being the guy who didn’t win the most races but still won the championship. I have a good goal to work towards next year. I want to win more races than him.”

Memo to self: Don’t piss off Josh Hayes.

Win more races? Check. How about 16 of them? Out of 20. Win more than Young? Check? Young won three times, the last of which was all the way back on May 5 at Infineon Raceway – when Infineon Raceway was still called Infineon Raceway. That means Hayes won 13 more races than Young. Double check.

In the understatement of all understatements, Hayes said the landscape changed somewhat in 2012 in the AMA Superbike class. Changed? It was destroyed because Hayes didn’t’ show up all smiles and with a weed-whacker, he came into the season lean, mean and angry. And with a chainsaw.

For the complete story on Hayes, click on the following link:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20121218#pg47