Roger Hayden will compete alongside brother Nicky at the upcoming
Red Bull USGP at Laguna Seca, with the American replacing the injured Randy de Puniet. MotoGP.com announced the news this morning, with Hayden filling in on the LCR Honda after De Puniet broke his left tibia and fibula at Sachsenring this Sunday.
With Randy de Puniet (14) out due to injury the LCR Honda seat will be filled at Laguna Seca by Roger Hayden, with the American having a previous USGP under his belt when he piloted a Kawasaki to a seventh-place result in 2007.
Hayden currently campaigns for the Pedercini
Kawasaki squad in World Superbike, where he has struggled aboard non-competitive machinery. Hayden’s temporary LCR Honda ride has been one of the most successful satellite machines in the paddock, with De Puniet consistently running inside the top 10 and often near the top five.
The younger brother of Nicky Hayden, Roger has a previous Grand Prix result to his name, with a solid 10th-place riding a wild-card Kawasaki in 2007. Hayden will also compete at the Indianapolis USGP racing the Moto2 class for American Honda with former GP great Kevin Schwantz as the team manager.
The intervention of Schwantz and Hayden’s older brother helped line up this latest opportunity, with LCR team manager Lucio Cecchinello quoted at MotoGP.com: “Thanks to the cooperation from Nicky Hayden and Kevin Schwantz, we went for the best choice: Roger Lee Hayden. He has plenty of experience at Laguna Seca and we will do our best to support him.”
As for De Puniet, the French rider underwent a two-hour operation to insert a titanium rod in his fractured leg. Standing seventh in the overall points, De Puniet plans an ambitious return to action in time for the Brno round in mid-August.
