Former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden has been rushed to the hospital with serious injuries after being involved in a collision with a car while cycling.
The 35-year-old was riding with friends close to Rimini on Wednesday when he was hit by a Peugeot, smashing into the windscreen of the vehicle before landing on the road.
Following the collision he was taken to a local hospital with severe head and chest trauma and remains in a serious condition.
The American is famous for narrowly piping Valentino Rossi to the 2006 MotoGP title, ending the Italian’s half-decade dominance of the sport.
Hayden had featured every year in grand prix motorcycle racing’s premier class between 2003 and 2016, winning three races with Honda during that time.
