MotoGP, The final farewell to Hayden: "Nicky was a gift"

A long procession took to the streets of Owensboro, led by Nicky Hayden's coffin. The Kentucky people were out in force to support the family of one of it's best-known citizens, but the entire world also paid tribute, with a direct streaming of the ceremony broadcast on Facebook.

Nicky has returned home, after having lost his life in a tragic accident in Italy, while he was riding his bicycle not far from the Misano track.

In the church, Nicky's whole family were there with him: father Earl with mother Rose, brothers Tommy and Roger Lee, sisters Jenny and Kathleen, his nieces and, of course, his fiancee Jackie. The nave was crowded with people, including Colin Edwards, and golden #69 balloons.

“Nicky was a man of faith and he would come here every Sunday when he was at home” recalled the priest during the ceremony.

“We could talk about all of Nicky's successes, but I want to talk about the son, the boy, the brother. The question today is ‘why?’ and there are no words with which to respond, it remains a mystery - the sermon by the priest who knew Hayden since he was a boy - Nicky was a hero, a world champion but he was also a son, a brother, an uncle and a friend. There are many adjectives with which to describe Nicky, but he was, above all, a gift that we shared with the world. We should all feel proud to have known him. He taught me the importance of forgiveness and being forgiven”.

An intimate ceremony, with occasional laughter when recalling more lighthearted episodes linked to Nicky, which was followed on the web by tens of thousands of people, who left thousands of comments while images of the ceremony were broadcast on screen.

A final embrace for a champion who left the world far more than his victories on track.