Hayden made his MotoGP debut in Japan 2003 for the Repsol Honda Team and just two years later finished in third position in the championship behind Valentino Rossi and Marco Melandri.

The following year, only his fourth in MotoGP, he won the world championship title in a thrilling final in Valencia, denying Valentino Rossi a fifth consecutive crown. He made the switch to Ducati in 2009 where he remained for five seasons, before racing for independent team entries. In 2016 and ’17 Hayden raced for Honda in the World Superbike Championship, claiming one race victory in Sepang.