title: Nicky Hayden

text: His breakthrough came at the United States GP, held at the Laguna Seca Raceway. The Californian venue had not been on the calendar since 1994, meaning that only a handful of riders had experience with this track. Australian Troy Bayliss and American Colin Edwards knew this track well from their Superbike days, as well as Hayden, who won an AMA race at the circuit in 2000 and taken fourth in a World Superbike wildcard outing in 2002. Rossi on the other hand, had never raced here, giving these riders an advantage. On Saturday, Hayden took his first ever pole position in the MotoGP class, beating former teammate Rossi by 0.354 seconds. On race day, Bayliss would be battling him for the first spot when the lights went out, but held on and built a gap of a second by the end of the opening lap. Rossi passed Bayliss for second place but 2.6 seconds separating Hayden and Rossi by lap 10. On lap 16, Edwards overtook Rossi for second place and cut the lead gap to 1.8 seconds three laps later. Hayden responded by upping his pace and crossed the line 1.941 seconds clear of second-place Colin Edwards and 2.312 seconds clear of third place Valentino Rossi. This was the first personal victory for the "Kentucky Kid" and the first win for the Factory Honda team since Rossi's last win at the 2003 Valencian Community round.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: After a great result at his home grand prix in the US, Hayden recorded his second DNF of the season in Great Britain. On lap two, Hayden high-sided his bike at the final turn while being in seventh place. At round 10 in Germany, Hayden scored his second pole position of the season, as well as overall, beating Sete Gibernau by 0.101 seconds on his 24th birthday. When the lights went out, Hayden converted his pole into a lead at the first turn, followed by Rossi, Barros and Gibernau. The race was stopped on lap six after a highside of John Hopskin's Suzuki caused him to lay on the track injured. After the race was restarted with the results from lap five taken, Hayden would once more start in first position, followed by Rossi and Barros. At the restart, Hayden once more kept the position, with Rossi, Gibernau, Barros and now Max Biaggi following him. On lap two, Rossi took the lead from Hayden before he was relegated to third by Gibernau, overtaking him at the end of the same lap. Gibernau ran wide on the last lap, but Hayden failed to capitalise on this mistake, crossing the line 0.885 seconds behind race winner Rossi to pick up his second podium place of the season.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: In the next three races, Hayden would finish off the podium. At the Czech, Japanese and Malaysian rounds, Hayden finished fifth, seventh and fourth—picking up the fastest lap at the Sepang circuit.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden finished the season on the podium in the next four consecutive races. In Qatar, Hayden would score another third place podium position. In Australia, Hayden went on to score his third pole of the season on Saturday and set a new record on the Phillip Island circuit with a time of 1:29.337, 0.731 seconds faster than Rossi's previous record on the venue. The next day, Hayden converted his pole into a turn-one lead when the red lights went out. On lap three, Rossi overtook Hayden going into turn one before then being passed by Marco Melandri. Hayden fought back, passing Melandri again on the runup to Lukey Heights and closing the gap to Rossi and battling hard with him from laps eight to 17. On lap 17, Hayden would retake the lead from Rossi, but he had slowed down the pace enough for the trio of Melandri, Gibernau and Checa to catch the two at the top. On lap 19, Rossi overtook Hayden before Melandri did the same by taking the position under braking at the Honda hairpin. The pair would swap positions multiple times before Hayden finally found a firm advantage over Melandri, but the combined effect of the squabble and Rossi's victory charge up front, meant that Hayden was now one second behind Rossi with five laps to go. Hayden did everything to close the gap, but Rossi managed to win the race with a 1.007 second lead over him. At the new Turkish GP, Hayden took another third place and at the Valencian Community round, he would narrowly lose out on the race win by 0.097 seconds to race winner Marco Melandri, battling hard on the last lap.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden finished third in the championship with 206 points, 161 points behind the champion Valentino Rossi and 14 points behind runner-up Marco Melandri. He scored six podiums—one of which was a win.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: After silencing his critics in 2005 by winning his home race and scoring a multitude of podiums, 2006 would be an even better year for the "Kentucky Kid".


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the opening round in Spain, Hayden finished third, holding off Toni Elías by less than 0.1 seconds while title defender Valentino Rossi finished 14th after he was crashed out by the same Elías. At the second race in Qatar, Hayden finished in second place with Rossi winning the race. Hayden was running a strong race, even passing Rossi for the lead on lap 19, but ultimately lost out to him on the last lap and crossed the line 0.900 seconds behind Rossi. In Turkey, Hayden would finish third once more after his Factory Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa crashed out of contention at the final stages of the race. This allowed Hayden to take the championship lead from Capirossi by just one point. At the Chinese round, Hayden would record his fourth consecutive podium by finishing second behind his rookie teammate Pedrosa, who won the race. Hayden started fifth but dropped to seventh on the opening lap before moving up the field and finding himself second, behind Pedrosa. In the last 10 laps, Hayden closed the gap to Pedrosa to just 0.6 seconds with four laps to go, but he responded by upping his pace, setting a fastest lap and increasing the gap to win his first ever race with a margin of 1.505 seconds over Hayden.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the French GP, Hayden finished off the podium for the first time this season by finishing fifth, but would still leave Le Mans with a 43-point advantage over Rossi in the championship because he finished even lower in eighth. His closest contenders at that time were Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi, who were both three points behind at that point. After France, Hayden bounced back by finishing third in Italy, battling throughout the race and almost taking second from Capirossi (which also caused Capirossi to take the lead in the championship), second in Catalunya (while both Capirossi and Melandri missed the race), scoring the fastest lap, and scoring his first victory of the season at the Dutch round. Hayden started from fifth on the grid but overtook Marco Melandri, Shinya Nakano and pole-sitter John Hopkins to move up to second and chase down Colin Edwards, who had been leading the race for much of the race. On the penultimate lap, Hayden overtook him under braking for the back chicane. Edwards tried to keep his Factory Yamaha alongside him but was forced to lift and go down an escape road—rejoining just over a second from the Factory Honda rider. That mistake looked likely to settle the race, but Edwards pushed hard and passed Hayden again with just half a lap to go. Both were riding on the limit, but Edwards got a better drive heading into the fast kinks that precede the final chicane and retook the lead with just a few corners to go. Edwards then ran his M1 wide through the fast left hander, giving him a defensive inside line for the final chicane. Hayden lunged his machine and both went through the corner side-by-side, but Hayden couldn't make the corner (possibly after selecting neutral) and ran wide across the gravel. This would have given the victory to Edwards, but he also ran wide onto a slick patch of synthetic grass and was thrown off his bike, allowing Hayden to win the race. This win gave Hayden a full set of 25 points and with Rossi finishing in eighth place, he increased his gap over him by 46 points in the championship.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden would once more finish off the podium in seventh place in Great Britain with Rossi picking up second place, but Hayden would respond in Germany by finishing third behind Marco Melandri and Rossi whom he battled with all throughout the race, finishing 0.266 behind eventual race winner Rossi, and by winning his home race at the United States round in Laguna Seca for the second consecutive year in a row. Hayden started sixth on the grid, but gained three places at turn one and was chasing down Kenny Roberts Jr. and pole-sitter Chris Vermeulen. Hayden overtook Kenny Roberts Jr. on lap nine, but by that time Vermeulen had built up a two-second gap. However, Hayden cut the gap to Vermeulen down as Vermeulen's Bridgestone tires started to suffer in the warm conditions and—as the halfway stage arrived—was within striking distance. Vermeulen ran slightly wide on the next lap, reluctantly conceding the win to Hayden. After taking over first place from Vermeulen, he built up a two-second gap and crossed the line first, 3.186 seconds ahead of Hayden's teammate Dani Pedrosa. Rossi retired from the race due to mechanical problems, increasing Hayden's championship lead over now second-place Pedrosa by 34 points and Rossi by 51 points, who now stood fourth in the championship.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden finished ninth at the Czech Republic, fourth at the Malaysian, fifth at the Australian, despite scoring his first and only pole position of the season here, and finishing fifth once more in Japan. With Rossi scoring consistent podiums—including one win at Sepang—he managed to move up to second in the championship once more and cut the points deficit from 51 at Laguna Seca to 12 in Motegi.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the penultimate round in Portugal, Rossi took pole position on Saturday with Hayden starting in third position. On race day, Hayden was taken out by his teammate Dani Pedrosa on the fifth lap after Pedrosa tried to overtake him but failed, lost the front and hit Hayden, causing both riders to retire. This first and only retirement of the year would hand Rossi the championship by eight points going into the last round of the season. However, because Rossi finished second—just 0.002 behind race winner Toni Elías—he took away five points from Rossi, which would play a crucial role at the last race in Valencia. After the race, Hayden said that he ""didn't expect Dani to pull over and let me by, but I definitely didn't expect him to do that.""


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Being relegated to second in the championship standings, Hayden knew it would be tough to win at the Valencian Community round. Rossi needed to finish in second place or higher to win the title. He took his second consecutive pole position on Saturday with Hayden starting on the second row in fifth place. On race day however, Rossi got a poor start, dropping him back in seventh place on the opening lap. Hayden meanwhile moved up from sixth to second on lap three of 30. He then tried to go after race leader and wildcard rider Troy Bayliss, who replaced the injured Sete Gibernau. On lap five however, Rossi made a crucial mistake when he lost the front wheel of his M1 and slid out of contention. He managed to get going again, but it would be to no avail: Rossi finished 13th while Hayden crossed the line in third place behind the Ducatis of Bayliss and Capirossi, collecting 247 points to Hayden's 252 and in turn, Nicky Hayden won the 2006 title by five points.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: On September 22, 2006, Hayden signed a two-year agreement that allowed for him to race for and develop with the factory Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) team for the 2007 and 2008 MotoGP seasons. He utilized the 800cc Honda RC212V, and as title holders, his MotoGP racing number changed from 69 to 1 for the 2007 season.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: The 2007 season started badly for Hayden, struggling with the performance of the new bike. In Qatar he finished seventh while his teammate Dani Pedrosa finished on the podium, behind Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner, who won for his debut race for Ducati. At the next two races in Spain and Turkey, Hayden finished in seventh place twice before finishing 12th in China.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the French round, Hayden recorded his first retirement of the season. While running fourth in the race, he suffered a heavy fall with just four laps to go. Chris Vermeulen on the Suzuki won the rain-affected race. At the Italian and Catalan rounds, Hayden finished 10th and 11th before finishing outside of the points in 17th in Great Britain after crashing out of sixth place early on.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Things would get better at the Dutch round. On Thursday, he had a good pace on both free practice sessions, finishing third in both sessions. At the third free practice session on Saturday, he finished third once more. However, a wet qualifying meant that Hayden lost a lot of the momentum he had in the dry and qualified in 13th place. During warm-up on Sunday, the track was dry and Hayden finished the session first, ahead of the Suzuki of John Hopkins and the Yamaha of Valentino Rossi. When the race started, Hayden moved from 13th to sixth going into the first corner, and moved up to finish in third: his first podium of the season and his highest position since the start of the season. His good form continued at the next race in Germany. Starting just 14th on the grid after another poor qualifying performance, the Michelin-shod Honda of Hayden, as well as the Yamaha of Colin Edwards fared much better on the Sachsenring track compared to the Bridgestone-shod Ducati of Casey Stoner, whom they would overtake in the closing stages of the race. Hayden finished third, making this his second consecutive podium of the year.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: After winning his home grand prix for two consecutive years, Hayden would retire for the second time at the United States round. After qualifying fourth on Saturday, he ran wide when he ran wide alongside John Hopkins at turn two and then made contact with Hopkins' Suzuki as both attempted to get back on line. Hayden would rejoin in 16th position, his Honda damaged, fighting with wildcards Chaz Davies and Miguel Duhamel. On lap eight, he was lapping around three seconds slower than the rest of the field and ahead of only Hopkins on the timing screens, prompting him to retire eventually. Before the race, an authorized biography on Hayden and his brothers--"The Haydens: Nicky, Tommy, & Roger, from OWB to MotoGP"—timed to coincide with his return to the US Grand Prix.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: He bounced back at the next race in the Czech Republic, scoring another third place podium. On Saturday, Hayden qualified 0.280 seconds behind Casey Stoner in second place, but slipped to fourth after a poor getaway at the line. He would eventually pass his teammate Pedrosa to hold on to third place on lap two, a position he held for the rest of the race.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the new race in San Marino, Hayden finished 13th after a poor start and a crash—involving Randy de Puniet and Pedrosa—forced him into the gravel. At the Portuguese round, Hayden scored his first and only pole position of the season on Saturday, outqualifying Casey Stoner by just 0.040 seconds. However, he would struggle on race day, managing to finish just off the podium in fourth after moving up the order after an early race slump. In Japan, Hayden finished in ninth place.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: In Australia, Hayden retired for the third time of the season. Hayden started off well, moving up from fourth to second on the opening lap and battling with Stoner at the first half of the race. On lap 11 however, his engine started to lose power, which allowed Rossi to move up to second place. On lap 13, he lost power completely, forcing him to retire. At the last two races of the season—the Malaysian and Valencian Community rounds—Hayden finished ninth and eighth.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden finished eighth in the championship with 127 points, 240 points behind the champion Casey Stoner and 115 points behind runner-up and Factory Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: In 2008, Hayden ran his old number 69 since Casey Stoner earned the right to run the number 1 plate after winning the MotoGP title in 2007.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden finished 10th at the opening race in Qatar and was duly outpaced by his teammate Dani Pedrosa, who finished on the podium in third place. At the next race in Spain, Hayden finished just off the podium in fourth position while his teammate went on to win the race. During the race, he was close to overtaking Jorge Lorenzo, but a mistake with just six laps to go allowed the Spaniard to finish third.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden would register his first and only retirement of the season in Portugal. He had dropped back to seventh on the opening lap, before he fought his way back up to fifth place. A crash by Andrea Dovizioso allowed him to move up into fourth position and he was trying to close down a two-second gap to third place Valentino Rossi, but he lost the front of his bike at turn seven and slid out of contention. In the following five rounds, Hayden would not finish higher than sixth. He finished sixth in China, eighth in France, 13th in Italy, eighth again in Catalunya and seventh in Great Britain. The race in Donington Park also marked the race debut of Honda's pneumatic-valve engine, which only Hayden was using initially.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At round nine—the Dutch round in Assen—Hayden ran third from the start and was set to finish there until he ran out of fuel at the final corner, due to an electrical system problem which prevented accurate fuel monitoring. Colin Edwards captured Hayden's third-place podium moments before Hayden coasted over the line with no power, to finish in fourth place. At the next two rounds in Germany and his home round at the United States, Hayden finished in 13th and fifth positions. A heel injury sustained in a motocross crash meant that Hayden would not participate in the Czech and San Marino rounds.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: As the season went on, the relations within the team had already deteriorated, and there was further friction when Pedrosa switched tire suppliers midseason (from the struggling Michelin to the dominant Bridgestone) without Hayden being consulted. Hayden stated ""I've never been put in the conditions to choose. Once they told me that I would have just wasted my time had I even only thought about asking for Bridgestone tires...I'm not surprised they've given them to him. Besides, at Misano I didn't even have the same fork Dani had... No way would I think they'd let me try the new tires"". This incident lent weight to the rumours that Hayden and Honda would part ways for the next season. The rumour was confirmed on September 12, 2008, when Hayden stated during a Dorna press conference, ""It's no secret. Everybody knows where my next stop is going to be...But officially we're waiting to do it the right way, until the releases come out, because there's teams and stuff"".


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Despite all the friction and negativity in the media between Hayden and the Repsol Honda team, he would go on to finish the season on a more positive note than last year. In his return race at the inaugural Indianapolis race, he would go on to finish second—his first podium of the season. Hayden started fourth but moved his way up the order, overtaking Valentino Rossi—who had fallen back from pole to fourth position at the start —, his future Ducati teammate Casey Stoner and rookie Andrea Dovizioso on the second lap to take over the lead. After Rossi fought his way back up to second, he would overtake Hayden under wet and tricky conditions down at the main straight on lap 14. With the rain increasing, Hayden started struggling and almost lost second place to the charging Jorge Lorenzo, until the marshalls red-flagged the race with seven laps to go. At the Japanese race, Hayden would finish in fifth position.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden's second and last podium of the season, and of his Honda career, would come at the race in Australia. Hayden qualified third while home hero Stoner took pole position. When the lights went out, Stoner was challenged by the 'Kentucky Kid' for 10 laps, before the Australian started to pull a two-second advantage halfway through the race and a 6.5 second lead at the chequered flag. Hayden—still in second place at the time—was facing a late charging Valentino Rossi, who had worked his way up from 12th after a high-speed qualifying fall on Saturday. Hayden fought hard to keep second place, but ultimately couldn't prevent Rossi from taking it on the final lap. At the last two rounds of his Honda career in Malaysia and Valencia, Hayden finished fourth and fifth, respectively.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: By the middle of 2008 it was strongly suspected by fans, media, and the MotoGP paddock already, and later supported by Hayden's own admission during a press conference that he would be leaving Honda, that Hayden would be joining the Ducati Marlboro Team to ride alongside Casey Stoner for the 2009 MotoGP season. This was confirmed on September 15, 2008 thus ending his 10-year relationship with Honda.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: During preseason testing, Hayden was plagued with problems and routinely finished in the mid-pack or lower. His major complaint was that the GP09 was "pumping" during corner exits leading to problems with grip. These problems continued throughout preseason testing.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: His first season at Ducati started off badly when, during qualifying at the season opener Qatar round, Hayden suffered from a severe pain in his back and needed three stitches for a cut to his chest after he fell in a major crash. He was launched into the air by a highside at the end of the 45-minute qualifying session when he was trying to improve on his 16th position, and was taken to hospital afterward. After it was declared that Hayden had not broken any bones, he returned in the warm-up session on Sunday and went on to finish 12th in the rain-delayed race, just behind his former teammate Dani Pedrosa. This was also Hayden's 100th grand prix. Despite the setbacks, Hayden seemed optimistic about the results saying ""I'm leaving here in a really positive mood and looking forward to Motegi."


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the second race in Japan, Hayden had never ridden the Ducati in the rain and qualified 12th. Then, on the opening lap of the race, Hayden was taken out by rookie Yuki Takahashi who plowed through Hayden from the rear under braking for the hairpin. As a result, Hayden retired from the race and slipped further down the standings.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: After Motegi, Hayden would continuously underperform compared to teammate Casey Stoner. He would finish 15th in Spain, 12th in France and Italy but would slowly work his way up as the season progressed when he finished 10th in Catalunya, eighth in Netherlands and fifth at his home race in the United States, his best result of the season yet. He finished in eighth place at the German, 15th and a lap down after a poor tire choice at the British and sixth at the Czech rounds. By round 11 however, Stoner already had won two GPs and finished on the podium a further three times.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: His breakthrough on the Ducati would come at the Indianapolis round. After qualifying sixth on Saturday, he would move up to fifth and then fourth when Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi crashed out of the race. He then overtook fellow countryman Colin Edwards for third but had to hold off Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso in the closing stages of the race. He did so and would go on to finish half-a-second clear of Dovizioso, becoming the first Ducati rider other than Stoner to finish on the podium since Loris Capirossi did so at the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: After his first podium of the season, Hayden would register his second retirement when he got tangled up in an incident caused by Alex de Angelis and Colin Edwards. When de Angelis tried to gain positions during the short right-left turns one and two, he hit Edwards who then clipped the back of Hayden, making them all retire from the race on the opening lap of the San Marino GP. After Misano, Hayden finished eighth in Portugal, 15th in Australia after he crashed once more with Jorge Lorenzo on the opening lap and lost a significant amount of time in the process and fifth twice in Malaysia and Valencia.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden finished 13th in the championship with 104 points, 202 points behind the champion Valentino Rossi and 157 points behind runner-up Jorge Lorenzo, his worst result since he first started racing in the MotoGP class in 2003.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: On September 3, 2009, Ducati said that Hayden had signed a one-year extension of his contract for the 2010 MotoGP season, ending speculation of a move away from the team. He would partner with Casey Stoner once more at the team.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: During the off-season, Hayden had surgery on his right arm, having been suffering from compartmental syndrome or more commonly known as arm-pump.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden would, compared to previous years, start off the season well by finishing fourth three consecutive times at the Qatar, Spanish and French rounds. However, his string of good luck would end at the fourth round of the season in Italy when he slid out of sixth place on lap six. After his retirement in Mugello, Hayden would go on to finish fourth in Great Britain, seventh in the Netherlands, eighth in Catalunya, seventh in Germany, fifth in the United States and sixth twice in the Czech Republic and at Indianapolis.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the San Marino race, Hayden retired once more when he fell on the opening lap and took out Loris Capirossi, damaging his right little finger and requiring surgery in the process. After his second crash of the year, Hayden registered his first podium in the form of third place at the Aragón GP. On the last lap, he overtook the Yamaha of Jorge Lorenzo on the penultimate corner by diving on the inside through the second part of the slow right-left turns 14 and 15 that leads onto the back straight. With Hayden putting his Ducati on the racing line, Lorenzo was forced to back off and that prevented him from retaking the place going into the long, sweeping turn 16, granting Hayden third place. With Casey Stoner winning the race, this marked the first time that two Ducatis finished on the podium since Stoner and Loris Capirossi finished first and second at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden spun off on lap two of the Japanese round, along with Ben Spies. Hayden got going again and finished in 12th position. At the Malaysian, Australian and Portuguese rounds, Hayden finished in sixth, fourth and fifth positions, respectively. At the final race in Valencia, Hayden would retire for the third time this season after he lost the front end of his machine and slid into the gravel trap from third place.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden finished seventh in the championship with 163 points, 220 points behind the champion Jorge Lorenzo and 82 points behind runner-up Dani Pedrosa.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: On August 28, 2010, Hayden extended his partnership with Ducati, signing a two-year contract extension with the factory team. He is joined in the team by his former Honda teammate Valentino Rossi, who also signed a two-year deal, to partner Hayden.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden's 2011 season started with a ninth-place finish in Qatar, before he achieved a third place at the Spanish round. Having avoided other incidents that eliminated several front-runners from the race, Hayden was aided by a last-lap mechanical failure for Colin Edwards, which caused him to crash out of the race, to take his first podium since the 2010 Aragón race where he also finished in third position.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: After his first and only podium of the season at round two, Hayden continued to stay in the points-scoring positions for the next 10 races, including a fastest lap during the British GP. Hayden finished ninth in Portugal, seventh in France, eighth in Catalunya, fourth in Great Britain, fifth in the Netherlands, 10th in Italy, eighth in Germany, seventh twice in the United States and Czech Republic and 14th in Indianapolis. He took top-10 finishes in all but one race, when he finished 14th in his home race at Indianapolis. He finished the race two laps down after making an unscheduled pit stop—having run as high as fifth during the race—after losing grip on his softer-compound Bridgestone front tire, causing a higher amount of wear to the left-hand side of the tire itself.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the San Marino round, Hayden registered his first retirement of the season. During the rain-affected race, Hayden lost the front on the exit of turn 15 and slid out of contention on lap three. After Misano, Hayden recorded three consecutive seventh-place finishes in Aragón, Japan and Australia to maintain his eighth place in the riders' championship. The Malaysian Grand Prix—in which Hayden had qualified sixth for—was cancelled after the death of Marco Simoncelli.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the final race of the season—the Valencian Community round—Hayden retired once more when he was eliminated, along with teammate Rossi, in a four-bike first-corner collision on the opening lap which was caused by the Suzuki of Álvaro Bautista. The incident left Hayden with a broken wrist, and he was forced to miss post-season testing the following week.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden finished eighth in the championship with 132 points, 218 points behind the champion Casey Stoner and 128 points behind runner-up Jorge Lorenzo.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden remained with Ducati for the 2012 season. For the first 10 races, he finished consistently in the points: sixth in Qatar, eighth in Spain, 11th in Portugal, sixth again in France, ninth in Catalunya, seventh in Great Britain, sixth once more in the Netherlands, 10th in Germany, seventh in Italy and sixth for the fourth time at his home race in the United States.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the Indianapolis round, Hayden had been expecting the best performance to date for the Ducati team, believing it to be well-suited to the track conditions at the circuit. However, Hayden did not take part in the race after suffering an accident at turn 14 during the qualifying session, trying to improve on his qualifying time. As a result, Hayden suffered a concussion in the process, ruling him out of the race. A fractured right hand also ruled him out of the following race in the Czech Republic.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Although not fully recovered from his injuries, thanks to the support of the official physiotherapist Freddie Dente, Hayden returned for the San Marino GP, where he finished in seventh position.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden failed to finish the Aragon Grand Prix, running wide at the final turn before crashing into a track-side wall at enough speed to launch him over the wall. He finished eighth in Japan and Australia, sandwiching a season's best fourth-place finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix. He crashed out of the final race in Valencia.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden finished ninth in the championship with 122 points, 228 points behind the champion Jorge Lorenzo and 210 points behind runner-up Dani Pedrosa. This was the first time in his career that he did not get a podium finish during the season.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: For the 2013 season, Hayden was joined in the factory Ducati team by Andrea Dovizioso, who moved from the Tech3 Yamaha squad to replace Valentino Rossi, who returned to the factory Yamaha setup. Hayden had stated that Dovizioso was the "best possible choice" to replace Rossi, prior to him signing a contract.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden scored points in the first five races: eighth in Qatar, ninth at the Americas, seventh in Spain, a season-best fifth in France and sixth in Italy.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At round six in Catalunya, Hayden retired for the first time this season. Hayden initially had made up ground, where he went from fifth to eighth, to pass the Pramac Ducati of Andrea Iannone, but would crash out of the race on lap six when the front of his machine let go when he turned into the left-hander at turn 10 after passing Stefan Bradl for fifth place.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: He finished 11th in the Netherlands, ninth in Germany, eighth at his home race in the United States, ninth again in Indianapolis, eighth twice in the Czech Republic and Great Britain and ninth twice in San Marino and Aragón.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the Malaysian GP, Hayden retired once more with mechanical problems. Having started in 11th place, he was forced to stop when his engine failed and blew up in a cloud of smoke at the end of lap eight. After his engine woes in Sepang, Hayden went on to finish the last three races of the season—the Australian, Japanese and Valencian Community rounds—in seventh, ninth and eighth places, respectively.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden finished ninth in the championship with 126 points, 208 points behind the champion Marc Márquez and 204 points behind runner-up Jorge Lorenzo. For the second consecutive season, Hayden did not get a podium finish during the season.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: It was announced on October 17, 2013 that, after five years with Ducati, Hayden had signed with the Aspar Team for the 2014 season. Hayden partnered Hiroshi Aoyama, who moved from the Avintia Blusens squad, with the pair riding open-specification Honda RCV1000R motorcycles.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the season opening round in Qatar, Hayden finished in the exact same position as where he finished last year, which is in eighth position. In the following three rounds—the Americas, Argentina and Spanish grands prix—he finished eleventh three consecutive times.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At round five of the season in France, Hayden retired for the first time of the season when he came into contact with the Pramac Ducati of Andrea Iannone at the exit of the first turn on the opening lap.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden did not participate at the Italian race due to a wrist injury, which had lingered since the Spanish GP two races earlier. He expected to return for the next round in Catalunya if the surgery was successful.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: After the surgery had been done without any major problems, Hayden returned in Catalunya where he finished 12th. At the Dutch round, Hayden finished outside of the points for the first time since the 2007 British GP but finished in the points again at the next round in Germany with a 14th place.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden missed the Indianapolis, Czech, British and San Marino rounds due to a second round of surgery on his right wrist in July to remove a set of small bones. He returned in Aragón, where he finished ninth in wet-dry conditions which forced him to make a late-race bike swap. This was also his best race result since his opening race result in Losail earlier in the year. In the following two races in Japan and Australia, he finished in 14th and 10th positions, respectively.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the penultimate round in Malaysia, Hayden registered his second retirement of the year. He crashed out of a top 10 finish at the hairpin. At the last race of the season—the Valencian Community GP—Hayden finished in 13th place.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden finished 16th in the championship with 47 points, 315 points behind the champion Marc Márquez and 248 points behind runner-up Valentino Rossi. For the third consecutive season, Hayden did not get a podium finish during the season.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: For the 2015 season, Hayden remained with the Aspar Racing Team, to ride a new open-specification Honda RC213V-RS. He was joined in the team by Eugene Laverty, who moved across from the Superbike World Championship.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden had the worst start of the season since he started racing in the MotoGP class in 2004. He finished outside of the points at the opening round in Qatar with a 17th place, but fared better at the Americas where he crossed the line in 13th. However, in the following two rounds—the Argentine and Spanish GPs—Hayden finished outside of the points once more when he finished 16th and 17th. At round five in France, he achieved a season-best finish of 11th place and became the top Open-class rider of the race.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the Italian and Catalan grands prix, Hayden retired two consecutive times. In Mugello, Nicky Hayden crashed out of the race at turn four on the fourth lap and in Catalunya, he was forced wide into the gravel on the opening lap to avoid a collision and then crashed himself on the 14th lap at turn five. Later he stated that he was ""annoyed and frustrated"" for making so many mistakes that cost him from obtaining a better result at this race.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden failed to score any points for the next four consecutive races—three consecutive 16th positions in the Netherlands, Germany and Indianapolis and one 17th position in the Czech Republic. At round 12 in Great Britain, Hayden finished in 12th place, before failing to score any points once more at the next round in San Marino after finishing in 17th place. In Aragón and Japan, Hayden would score the last points of his MotoGP career by finishing in 15th and 13th places.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: At the Australian round, he would retire for the third time this season. He was forced to retire due to technical problems with the bike. At the last two rounds of the season in Malaysia and at the Valencian Community, he finished in 16th and 17th positions.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden moved to the Superbike World Championship in 2016, but made two one-off spot starts when Honda riders were injured at the 2016 season.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: After Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS star Jack Miller was ruled out for the Aragón round, Hayden was called by Honda in a substitute role. He finished the race in 15th position, ensuring that he had scored at least one point in 14 consecutive seasons—every MotoGP season he had so far participated in. He said that he underestimated the task of adapting to the new Michelin tires but that his progress through the weekend was such that he was left longing to qualify and race again.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: After Dani Pedrosa was ruled out of racing at the Australian GP due to a broken collarbone he sustained after high-siding during practice for the Japanese round, Hayden was called to replace him for this round. marking his return to the squad since 2008. He finished outside of the points in 17th position after a collision with Jack Miller at turn four fighting for 9th place late in the race —who he had replaced just two rounds earlier—made him slide into the gravel and outside the points.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: On October 8, 2015, it was announced – at the pre-race press conference for the Japanese Grand Prix – that Hayden would move to the Superbike World Championship for the season. Hayden replaced Sylvain Guintoli at the Ten Kate Racing-run Honda squad, alongside Michael van der Mark.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: After strong pre-season testing results, Hayden finished his first race weekend with ninth and fourth at Phillip Island. At Assen, round four, Hayden scored his first podium finish with a third place in the opening race, running with the leaders before backing off in the closing stages. At Sepang, round six, Hayden qualified fourth on the grid behind the Kawasakis of Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes, and the Yamaha of Alex Lowes. After an eighth place in the first race, Hayden made a good start in the damp conditions of the second race, and overtook Lowes into turn two, before challenging the Kawasakis for the lead. Hayden went around the outside of Sykes into turn five and followed Rea for the majority of the lap, making a strong move into the penultimate corner. Hayden established a four-second gap over Rea and the now chasing Ducatis of Chaz Davies and Davide Giugliano. As the race entered the last 10 laps, Giugliano moved into second ahead of Rea and Davies, halving Hayden's lead with four laps to go. Giugliano was one second behind coming onto the final lap but Hayden held the gap to win his first World Superbike race, taking Honda's first win of the season in the process.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden remained at Ten Kate Honda (now known as the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) for the 2017 season, partnered by Stefan Bradl. A slow start to the season saw mixed results and three retirements. His best result on the season was a seventh-place finish in Thailand. Hayden's final race was the second race of the Motul Italian Round held on May 14, 2017 where he finished in 12th place. He was in 13th place overall in the championship at the time of his death.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: In 2017, the AMA Horizon Award was renamed in honor of Nicky Hayden. The Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Award is presented annually to outstanding amateur rides in dirt track, motocross and road racing.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: During the 2018 Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas at Circuit of The Americas, Nicky Hayden's number, 69, was spray painted on turn 18 and officially renamed, “Hayden Hill” in honor of the former American racer.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: On June 8, 2018, the City of Owensboro unveiled the Nicky Hayden Memorial Sculpture honoring the late Owensboro native champion. The bronze sculpture was commissioned by the city and the Hayden family, and created by George Lundeen.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: In 2018, Mayor of Owensboro, Tom Watson declared June 9 as Nicky Hayden Day, representing his racing number 69.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: In 2018, the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame bypassed the traditional five-year rule for a competitor to be retired, and Nicky Hayden was voted as a 2018 inductee into their Hall of Fame.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden was born into a Roman Catholic family with which he retained a strong connection throughout his entire life, even living in an apartment above his family while the rest of the MotoGP riders lived in Europe. He had two brothers, Tommy and Roger Lee, both professional motorcycle racers, and two sisters, Jenny and Kathleen. In 2010, Tommy raced in the AMA, and Roger Lee competed in the Superbike World Championship.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: His traditional racing number, 69, was the same number his father Earl used. His father jokes that the number was selected because it could still be read when he frequently ended up upside down in the dirt.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: On May 17, 2017, Hayden was hit by a driver while riding his bicycle near Rimini, Italy. Hayden was riding alone at the time of the accident which took place at around 14:00 CEST (UTC+2). Earlier in the morning Hayden was out running with Kevin Schwantz. He invited Schwantz to ride with him in the afternoon but Schwantz declined as he did not have a bicycle on hand. Hayden then rode briefly with his friend Denis Pazzaglini at some point in the early afternoon. Hayden's final Instagram photo shows the two together.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: The crash occurred at the intersection of Via Ca' Raffaelli and Via Tavoleto in Misano Adriatico. Hayden was traveling west on Via Ca' Raffaelli when he was struck by a Peugeot 206 CC as he entered the street to cross Via Tavoleto. According to Italian newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport", a home surveillance camera installed several metres away from the intersection recorded the entire accident. Hayden apparently did not halt at a stop sign and was possibly distracted by his iPod which was found by investigators at the scene of the crash.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: The driver of the car stated that he was on his way to work when Hayden passed through a stop sign and suddenly appeared in front of him. He was unable to avoid a collision. The speed of the car was not known but the impact of Hayden slamming into the windshield was strong enough to completely shatter it and dent down the roof of the car. Hayden's bicycle was found in the nearby ditch with its frame snapped in half. Riccione Municipal Police are in possession of the crash video and the result of their investigation was expected to be reported some time in July.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: Hayden was taken to Rimini hospital with severe injuries, and was subsequently moved to the major trauma unit at the in Cesena for possible surgery. Hayden's injuries were so severe that he was not placed into a medically-induced coma and did not receive any surgery. Whether Hayden was at all conscious or in a natural coma during his last days is not known.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: The extent of Hayden's injuries was described as polytrauma including a traumatic brain injury that resulted in severe cerebral damage. He also suffered a broken femur, broken pelvis, and multiple fractured vertebrae. As a result of the injuries, Hayden was placed on life support in an intensive care unit. After no signs of recovery, Hayden died in the hospital on May 22, 2017, five days after the accident. He was 35 years old.


title: Nicky Hayden

text: In September 2017, results of the accident investigation were released. The report placed 70 percent blame on the driver, and 30 percent blame on Hayden. The report said that the car was traveling at approximately in a zone, and there was no indication that the driver braked prior to colliding with Hayden. Hayden had been traveling at , and entered the intersection without heeding the stop sign.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: High-heeled shoes, also known as high heels, are a type of shoe with an angled sole. The heel in such shoes is raised above the ball of the foot. High heels cause the legs to appear longer, make the wearer appear taller, and accentuate the calf muscle.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: There are many types of heels in varying colors, materials, styles, and heights. High heels have been used in various ways to communicate nationality, professional affiliation, gender, and social status. High heels have been important in the West. In early 17th century Europe, for example, high heels were a sign of masculinity and high social status. It wasn't until the end of the century that this trend spread to women's fashion. By the 18th century, high-heeled shoes had split along gender lines. By this time, heels for men's shoes were chunky squares attached to riding boots or tall formal dress boots while women's high heels were narrow and pointy and often attached to slipper-like dress shoes (similar to modern heels). By the 20th century, high heels with a slim profile represented femininity; however, a thick high heel on a boot or clog was still acceptable for men. Until the 1950's, shoe heels were typically made of wood, but in recent years they have been made of a variety of materials including leather, suede, and plastic.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: Wearing high heels is associated with greater risk of falls, musculoskeletal pain, the development of foot deformities and varicose veins.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: Platformed footwear has a long history dating as far back as ancient Egypt, though it is unknown when the platforms made their first appearance. In ancient Egypt, wearing very thick soled sandals was an indication of upper class status. Butchers in ancient Egypt also elevated themselves by wearing platformed sandals to keep blood away from their feet. In Manchu China during the Qing dynasty platformed shoes, with the elevation in the center of the sole rather than at the heel, were worn by higher status women.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: The Persian cavalry wore galesh, a kind of boot with heels, in order to ensure their feet stayed in the stirrups. Heeled shoes also kept Persian arrow-shooting riders, who stood up on galloping horses, safely on the horse. This utility of the heel for horseback riders has been preserved in the Western cowboy boot. Before the Industrial age, owning horses was an indicator of wealth, as their maintenance was both expensive and time-consuming. Thus, the wearing of heels traditionally implied the wearer had significant wealth. This practical use of the heel has set the standard for most horseback riding shoes throughout history and into the present day.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: After the Great Schism in the 11th century, the Pope notably began wearing red-heeled shoes. In 12th-century India, a statue from the ramappa Temple depicts an Indian woman's foot clad in a raised shoe. During the Medieval period in Europe, both men and women wore platform shoes (the women's variant being known as c"hopines" to raise themselves out of the trash and excrement filled streets. These heels reached a height of up to in 1430. Venetian law later limited the height to three inches—but this regulation was widely ignored. At the end of the Elizabethan era, cavalier boots were introduced for riding. These originally had relatively low heels, but by the time of the English Civil War stacked heels of up to 2 inches were common. A 17th-century law in Massachusetts announced that women would be subjected to the same treatment as witches if they lured men into marriage via the use of high-heeled shoes.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: Modern high heels were brought to Europe by Persian emissaries of Abbas the Great in the early 17th century. Men wore them to imply their upper-class status; only someone who did not have to work could afford, both financially and practically, to wear such extravagant shoes. Royalty such as King Louis XIV wore heels, and his predecessor King Louis XIII introduced the red heel to the court of French nobility. As the shoes became a fashion trend, other members of society began donning high heels, and some elite members ordered their heels to be made even higher to distinguish themselves from lower classes. Some authorities began regulating the length of a high heel's point according to social rank: " inch for commoners, 1 inch for the bourgeois, one and inches for knights, 2 inches for nobles, and two and inches for princes." As women began to wear heeled shoes in the mid-to-late 17th century, societal trends moved to distinguish men's from women's heels. By the 18th century, men wore thick heels, while women wore thin ones. Over the course of the Enlightenment, men's heels began to concentrate into either practical riding boots or tall leather boots worn for status. In the late 1780's, the societal implications of wearing high and thin heels became fixed: high, thin heels represented femininity and the supposed superficiality and extravagance of women.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: The design of the high French heels from the late 1600's to around the 1720's placed the wearer's body weight on the ball of the foot and were decorated with lace or braided fabric. From the 1730's to the 1740's, wide heels with an upturned toe and a buckle fastening became popular. The 1750's and 1760's introduced a skinnier, higher heel. The 1790's continued this trend but saw more experimentation with color. Additionally, in this period, there was no difference between the right and left shoes.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: In Britain in 1770, an act was introduced into the parliament which would have applied the same penalties to the use of high heels and other cosmetic devices as would have been applied in the case of witchcraft.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: During the Regency era Hessian boots similar in appearance to modern cowboy boots were popular among dandies. After the Battle of Waterloo, high heeled boots declined in popularity and were replaced with the lower heeled Wellington Boots popularized by the famous British general.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: Heels went out of fashion starting around 1810, and then in 1860, they surged in popularity, with an average height of about two and a half inches. The pinet heel and the Cromwell heel were both introduced during this time. Their production was also increased with the invention and eventual mass production of the sewing machine around the 1850's. With sewing machines, yields increased as machines could quickly and cheaply "position the heel, stitch the upper, and attach the upper to the sole."


title: High-heeled shoe

text: During the 20th Century, World War I and World War II led many countries to ration materials that were previously used to make shoes. Materials such as silk, rubber, and leather were prioritized for military use. Heels began to be replaced with cork and wooden-soled shoes. Due to the post-war increase in international communication, especially through photography and films, the Western fashion of women's high heels began to spread globally. In the early post-war period, brown and white pumps with cutouts or ankle straps combined with an open toe were some of the most fashionable women's heels. High heeled shoes began to also symbolize professionalism for many women in the West, while leather and rubber thick-heeled boots for men came to be associated with Militarism and masculinity.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: The era surrounding World War II saw the popularization of pin-up girl posters, the women in which were almost always pictured wearing high heels. In the minds of many men at war, and later, in American society at large, this led to an increase in the strength of the relationship between high heels and female sexuality. The tall, skinny stiletto heel was invented in 1950, and quickly became an emblem of female sexuality. There was a weakening of the stiletto style during the late 1960's through the early 1970's and 1990's when block heels were more prominent, followed by a revival in the 2000's.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: For men, high heeled boots made a comeback in the 1950's as the cowboy boot, associated with Western movies. During the 1960's and 70's, Beatle boost, Chelsea boots and Winkle-pickers with Cuban heels became popular among Teddy boys, the mod subculture and the early garage punk scene.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: In the Western world, high-heeled shoes exist in two highly gendered and parallel tracks: highly fashionable and variable women's shoes with thin long heels, and practical, relatively uniform men's shoes in a riding boot style, with thick, relatively short heels. Heels are often described as a sex symbol for women, and magazines like "Playboy", as well as other media sources that primarily portray women in a sexual way, often do so using high heels. Paul Morris, a psychology researcher at the University of Portsmouth, argues that high heels accentuate "sex-specific aspects of female gait," artificially increasing a woman's femininity. Likewise, many see the arching of a woman's back facilitated by wearing high heels as an imitation of a signal of a woman's willingness to be courted by a man. Despite the sexual connotations, heels are considered both fashionable and professional dress for women in most cases, the latter especially if accompanied by a pants suit. Some researchers argue that high heels have become part of the female workplace uniform and operate in a much larger and complex set of display rules. High heels are considered to pose a dilemma to women as they bring them sexual benefits but are detrimental to their health. The 21st century has introduced a broad spectrum and variety of styles, ranging from height and width of heel, to design and color of the shoe.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: High heels have been made from a wide variety of materials throughout history. In the early years, leather and cowhide were preferred. Later, silk and patent leather were introduced. At the same time, cork and wood were utilized as cheap resources in times of war. After the World Wars, and the increase in production of steel, the actual heel was often a piece of steel wrapped in some material. This enabled designers to make heels taller and skinnier without them snapping. The soles below the ball of the foot of Ballroom shoes can also be made of materials like smooth leather, suede, or plastic.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: Wearing high-heeled shoes is strongly associated with injury, including injury requiring hospital care. There is evidence that high-heel-wearers fall more often, especially with heels higher than 2.5 cm, even if they were not wearing high heels at the time of the fall. Wearing high heels is also associated with musculoskeletal pain, specifically pain in the Paraspinal muscles (muscles running up the back along the spine) and specifically with heel pain and plantar calluses (only women tested).


title: High-heeled shoe

text: A 2001 survey conducted by Pennsylvania State University using 200 women found that 58% of women complained of lower back pain when wearing heels, and 55% of women said they felt the worst overall back pain when wearing the highest heel. The same study argues that as heel height increases, the body is forced to take on an increasingly unnatural posture to maintain its center of gravity. This changed position places more pressure and tension on the lower lumbar spine, which may explain why some of the women complained of severe back pain at a higher heel length.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: In a 1992 study, researchers from the University of California, Davis, and Thomas Jefferson University conducted an investigation on the effects of increased heel height on foot pressure using forty-five female participants walking across a pressure plate in various heel heights. A Biokinetics software was used to analyze the exact pressure locations on and along each participants' foot. The researchers concluded that an increase in heel height leads to an increase in pressure beneath each of the Metatarsal bones of the foot. Additionally, they found that the highest heel heights caused constant pressure that could not be evenly dispersed across the foot.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: In a 2012 study, Kai-Yu Ho, Mark Blanchette, and Christopher Powers investigated the impact of heel height on Knee stress during walking. The study consisted of eleven participants wearing tracking and reflective markers as they walked across a 10-meter force-plated walkway in low, medium, and high heels. The study argued that as the height of the heel increased, the ball of the foot experienced an increase in pressure resulting in increased discomfort levels and peak patellofemoral joint stress. The researchers also mentioned that the long-term usage of high heels may lead to repetitive overstress of the joint, which may result in an increase in pain and, eventually, patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis and Patellofemoral pain syndrome.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: In a 2012 study, researchers examined the long risk time high heel wearers would have in regards to calf Muscle fascicle length and strain. The control group consisted of women who wore heels for less than ten hours weekly and the experimental group consisted of women who wore heels for a minimum of forty hours weekly for at least two years. The experimental group was told to walk down a walkway barefoot and in heels. In contrast, the control group walked barefoot as cameras recorded their movements to calculate muscle fascicle lengths. The data showed that wearing heels shortened the size of the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle bundles in the calf significantly as well as increasing stiffness in the Achilles Tendon. The experimental group also demonstrated a more significant strain on the muscle fascicles while walking in heels because of the flexed position the foot is forced into. The researchers estimated that when wearing heels, the estimated fascicle strains were approximately three times higher, and the fascicle strain rate was about six times higher. Additionally, they concluded that the long-term usage of high heels could increase the risk of injuries such as strain and discomfort, and muscle fatigue.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: In 2016, scientists from the Department of Physical Therapy in the Sahmyook University in Korea conducted a study to examine increased heel height and gait velocity on balance control. In this study, the participants were told to wear either a low or high heel and walk on a treadmill at a low and high speed. As a result of this experiment, the researchers argued that as heel height increased, the sway velocity of the bodies increased, which also modified the position of the knee joint, requiring the muscles of the leg to realign the entire body, especially the hips, along the line of gravity. As the body's weight shifted forward, the hips were taken out of alignment, and the knee joints experienced stress to adjust to the shift.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: In a 2016 study from the Sahmyook University in Korea, researchers investigated the effects of high heels on the activation of muscles in the cervical and lumbar portions of the spine. Thirteen women were recruited to walk down a walkway in three different testing conditions: barefoot, in 4 cm heels and in 10 cm heels. Surface electrodes were placed on the muscle mass of the women's spines and their feet to measure the electrical activity of muscles at different points of movement. The study results indicated an increase in both cervical and lumbar muscle activation as heel height increased: the cervical spine, the neck assists in maintaining head stability and postural control in the body. The usage of high heels shifts the body's center of mass, which requires the spine to adjust itself to maintain balance. The researchers mentioned that these results would increase local muscle fatigue over time, which could lead to muscle swelling, decreased muscle movement, and, in extreme cases of overuse, tissue deformation.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: Some research indicates that a possible consequence of wearing high heels is increasing pressure in one's veins. Experiments suggest that the higher the heel, the "higher [the] venous pressure in the leg." This means that after repeated use of high heels, varicose veins and other undesirable symptoms are much more likely to appear in the legs. Other research supports that claim that wearing high heels can lead to numerous long-term effects, including accidental trauma to multiple areas of the body.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: In Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, heels over 2 inches high with less than one square inch of bearing surface can be worn only with a permit.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: It has been argued by some union leaders that high heels in the workplace should be subject to a health and safety assessment.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: In the UK in 2016 temporary receptionist Nicola Thorp was sent home without pay after she refused to follow the dress code of the firm Portico. Thorp launched an online petition calling for the UK government to "make it illegal for a company to require women to wear high heels at work". Two parliamentary committees in January 2017 decided that Portico had broken the law, but by this time the company had already changed its terms of employment. The petition was rejected by the government in April 2017 as they stated that existing legislation was "adequate". Existing legislation in the UK allows women to be required to wear high heels, but only if it is considered a job requirement and men in the same job are required to dress to an "equivalent level of smartness".


title: High-heeled shoe

text: In April 2017 the Canadian province of British Columbia amended workplace legislation to prevent employers from requiring women to wear high heels at work. Other Canadian provinces followed suit.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: The Philippines forbade companies from mandating that female employees wear high heels at work in September 2017.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: The #KuToo campaign in Japan collected over 150,000 signatures on a petition for a ban on mandatory high heels. The government said that they had no plans to change. Japan's labor minister commented that high heels are "necessary and appropriate" for women.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: In the West, high heeled shoes are often regarded as an emblem of femininity, and thus have been the subject of analysis by Feminist authors. Some have argued that "high-heeled shoes, perhaps more than any other item of clothing, are seen as the ultimate symbol of being a woman." Modern high heels with thin and long heels often serve to emphasize the wearer's arched back and extended buttocks. This "natural courting pose" has sometimes been analyzed as a form of objectification in service of the male gaze.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: Some Feminist scholars have argued that men's views on the culture of high heels are problematic: A sizable proportion of men regard the cultural expectation for women in professional environments to wear high heels as unproblematic. However, it has not been popular for men to wear tall and thin high heels since the late 17th century. Thus, since some women report that high heels are often painful to walk in, and commonly result in negative side effects to joints and veins after prolonged use, many have argued that it is unreasonable of men to support such a cultural norm.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: At the feminist Miss America protest in 1968, protestors symbolically threw a number of feminine products into a "freedom trash can." These included high heels, which were among items the protestors called "instruments of female torture" and accouterments of what they perceived to be enforced femininity.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: In 2015, a group of women were turned away from a film premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France for wearing flat shoes, including a woman physically unable to wear heels due to an operation on one of her feet. The women complained that the policy of the festival on women's footwear was unjust. Festival organizers later responded that there was no official policy on footwear and stated that they would remind red-carpet officials of this.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: Some dress codes require women to wear high heels, and some medical organizations have called for a ban on such dress codes. There have been many protests by women workers against such policies. Laws regarding dress codes that require women to wear high heels in the workplace vary.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: A Mile in Her Shoes is an annual march in which men wear red high heels and walk a mile to protest domestic violence. Some academics have suggested that by wearing high heels for such a brief period and making a point of acting like they do not know how to walk properly, these men reinforce the stereotype that only women can or should wear high heels.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: High heels are marketed to children, and some schools encourage children to wear them. 18% of injuries from wearing high heels were in children, and 4% in under-tens, in a 2002–2012 US survey. A 2016 medical review on high-heeled shoes expressed concern about children's use of high heels. A nine-year-old is about half an adult's height, and a toddler about a quarter; so, relative to body height, a 2-inch (5 cm) heel on an adult would be a one-inch heel on the nine-year-old, and a half-inch heel on the toddler, though whether this translates to comparable health harms is not known.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: Many styles of dance are performed in heels. Ballroom dancing shoes are specific to the dance style being performed. International Standard ballroom shoes for women are closed-toed shoes with a sturdy 2-to-2.5-inch heel because steps are performed using the foot's heel. International Latin and American Rhythm shoes are open-toed, strapped heels that are an average of 2.5 to 3 inches in height. These shoes have the least sturdy heel because International Latin and American Rhythm styles are performed on the ball of the foot. This style of shoe is designed with a flexible sole to allow pointed feet. Lastly, American Smooth shoes are closed-toed, flexible-soled shoes that range in heel height from 2 to 2.5 inches.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: A non-traditional ballroom dance that uses heels is the Argentine tango. While dancing the Argentine tango, women often wear pointed heels ranging in height from 2 to 4 inches. More advanced dancers typically choose higher heels. The heels can have a significant impact on the posture of a dancer by tilting the pelvis and making the buttocks more prominent, forcing the abdomen in and pushing the breasts out. They can also cause instability as they force women to dance on their toes and lean on their partner, which adds to the fluidity of the movements.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: A modern style of dance called heels choreography or stiletto dance specializes in choreography that blends the styles of jazz, hip-hop and burlesque with the fusion of vogue movements and is performed using stilettos or high heels. Dancers such as Yanis Marshall specialize in dancing with high heels.


title: High-heeled shoe

text: Some dance-related injuries are attributable to the use of heels. In particular, shoes with a narrow space for the toes can squeeze tightly enough to cause foot deformity. Dancers can add cushioning to the soles of their dancing shoes or inserts to ease the pain during dancing.


title: Eastbourne

text: Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the larger Eastbourne Downland Estate.


title: Eastbourne

text: The seafront consists largely of Victorian hotels, a pier, theatre, contemporary art gallery and a Napoleonic era fort and military museum.


title: Eastbourne

text: Though Eastbourne is a relatively new town, there is evidence of human occupation in the area from the Stone Age. The town grew as a fashionable tourist resort largely thanks to prominent landowner, William Cavendish, later to become the Duke of Devonshire. Cavendish appointed architect Henry Currey to design a street plan for the town, but not before sending him to Europe to draw inspiration. The resulting mix of architecture is typically Victorian and remains a key feature of Eastbourne.


title: Eastbourne

text: As a seaside resort, Eastbourne derives a large and increasing income from tourism, with revenue from traditional seaside attractions augmented by conferences, public events and cultural sightseeing. The other main industries in Eastbourne include trade and retail, healthcare, education, construction, manufacturing, professional scientific and the technical sector.


title: Eastbourne

text: Eastbourne's population is growing; between 2001 and 2011 it increased from 89,800 to 99,412. The 2011 census shows that the average age of residents has decreased as the town has attracted students, families and those commuting to London and Brighton. In June 2019, the population of Eastbourne was estimated to be 104,042.


title: Eastbourne

text: Flint mines and Stone Age artefacts have been found in the surrounding countryside of the Eastbourne Downs.


title: Eastbourne

text: There are Roman remains buried beneath the town, such as a Roman bath and section of pavement between Eastbourne Pier and the Redoubt Fortress. There is also a Roman villa near the entrance to the Pier and the present Queens Hotel.


title: Eastbourne

text: In 2014, skeletal remains of a woman who lived around 425AD were discovered in the vicinity of Beachy Head on the Eastbourne Downland Estate. The remains were found to be of a 30-year-old woman who grew up in East Sussex, but had genetic heritage from sub-Saharan Africa, giving her black skin and an African skeletal structure. Her ancestors came from below the Saharan region, at a time when the Roman Empire extended only as far as North Africa.


title: Eastbourne

text: The original name came from the 'Burne' or stream which ran through today's Old Town area of Eastbourne. All that can be seen of the Burne, or Bourne, is the small pond in Motcombe Gardens. The bubbling source is guarded by a statue of Neptune. Motcombe Gardens are overlooked by St. Mary's Church, a Norman church which allegedly lies on the site of a Saxon 'moot', or meeting place. This gives Motcombe its name.


title: Eastbourne

text: In 2014 local metal-detectorist Darrin Simpson found a coin minted during the reign of Æthelberht II of East Anglia (died 794), in a field near the town. It is believed that the minting of these coins may have led to Æthelberht's beheading by Offa of Mercia, as it had been struck as a sign of independence. Describing the coin, expert Christopher Webb, said, "This new discovery is an important and unexpected addition to the numismatic history of eighth century England."


title: Eastbourne

text: Following the Norman conquest, the Hundred of what is now Eastbourne, was held by Robert, Count of Mortain, William the Conqueror's half brother. The Domesday Book lists 28 ploughlands, a church, a watermill, fisheries and salt pans.


title: Eastbourne

text: The Book referred to the area as 'Borne'. 'East' was added to 'Borne' in the 13th century, renaming the town.


title: Eastbourne

text: A charter for a weekly market was granted to Bartholomew de Badlesmere in 1315–16; this increased his status as Lord of the Manor and benefited local industry. During the Middle Ages the town was visited by King Henry I and in 1324 by Edward II. Evidence of Eastbourne's medieval past can seen in the 12th-century Church of St Mary, and the manor house called Bourne Place.


title: Eastbourne

text: In the mid-16th century Bourne Place was home to the Burton family, who acquired much of the land on which the present town stands. This manor house is currently owned by the Duke of Devonshire and was extensively remodelled in the early Georgian era when it was renamed Compton Place. It is one of the two Grade I listed buildings in the town.


title: Eastbourne

text: Eastbourne has Cornish connections, most notably visible in the Cornish high cross in the churchyard of St Mary's Church which was brought from an unspecified location in Cornwall.


title: Eastbourne

text: In 1752, a dissertation by Richard Russell extolled the medicinal benefits of the seaside. His views were of considerable benefit to the south coast and, in due course, Eastbourne became known as "the Empress of Watering Places".


title: Eastbourne

text: Eastbourne's earliest claim as a seaside resort came about following a summer holiday visit by four of King George III's children in 1780 (Princes Edward and Octavius and Princesses Elizabeth and Sophia).


title: Eastbourne

text: In 1793, following a survey of coastal defences in the southeast, approval was given for the positioning of infantry and artillery to defend the bay between Beachy Head and Hastings from attack by the French. Fourteen Martello Towers were constructed along the western shore of Pevensey Bay, continuing as far as Tower 73, the Wish Tower at Eastbourne. Several of these towers survive: the Wish Tower is an important feature of the town's seafront and was the subject of a painting by James Sant RA, and part of Tower 68 forms the basement of a house on St. Antony's Hill. Between 1805 and 1807, a fortress known as the Eastbourne Redoubt was built as a barracks and storage depot, and armed with 10 cannons.


title: Eastbourne

text: A connection with India comes in the shape of the 18th-century Lushington monument, also at St Mary's, which commemorates a survivor of the Black Hole of Calcutta atrocity which led to the British conquest of Bengal.


title: Eastbourne

text: Four villages or hamlets occupied the site of the modern town: Bourne (or, to distinguish it from others of the same name, East Bourne) is now known as Old Town, and this surrounded the bourne (stream) which rises in the present Motcombe Park; Meads, where the Downs meet the coast; South Bourne (near the town hall); and the fishing settlement known simply as Sea Houses, which was situated to the east of the present pier.


title: Eastbourne

text: By the mid-19th century most of the area had fallen into the hands of two landowners: John Davies Gilbert (the Davies-Gilbert family still own much of the land in Eastbourne and East Dean) and William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington.


title: Eastbourne

text: The Gilbert family's holdings date to the late 17th and early 18th centuries when barrister Nicholas Gilbert married an Eversfield and Gildredge heiress. (The Gildredges owned much of Eastbourne by 1554. The Gilberts eventually made the Gildredge Manor House their own. Today the Gildredge name lives on in the eponymous park.)


title: Eastbourne

text: An early plan, for a town named Burlington, was abandoned, but on 14 May 1849 the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway arrived to scenes of great jubilation. With the arrival of the railway, the town's growth accelerated.


title: Eastbourne

text: Cavendish, now the 7th Duke of Devonshire, recruited Henry Currey in 1859 to lay out a plan for what was essentially an entire new town – a resort built "for gentlemen by gentlemen". The town grew rapidly from a population of less than 4,000 in 1851 to nearly 35,000 by 1891. In 1883, it was incorporated as a municipal borough; a purpose-built town hall was opened in 1886. This period of growth and elegant development continued for several decades. A royal visit by


title: Eastbourne

text: During the First World War, Summerdown Camp, a convalescent facility, opened in 1915 near the South Downs to treat soldiers who were injured during trench warfare or seriously ill. It was the largest of this type in the UK during this war, treating 150,000; 80% were able to return to fight. The facility was dismantled in 1920. An exhibition about the history of the camp was held in Eastbourne for several months in 2015.


title: Eastbourne

text: The Second World War saw a change in fortunes. Initially, children were evacuated to Eastbourne on the assumption that they would be safe from German bombs, but soon they had to be evacuated again because after the fall of France in June 1940 it was anticipated that the town would lie in an invasion zone. Part of Operation Sea Lion, the German invasion plan, envisaged landings at Eastbourne. Many people sought safety away from the coast and shut up their houses. Restrictions on visitors forced the closure of most hotels, and private boarding schools moved away. Many of these empty buildings were later taken over by the services. The Royal Navy set up an underwater weapons school, and the Royal Air Force operated radar stations at Beachy Head and on the marshes near Pevensey. Thousands of Canadian soldiers were billeted in and around Eastbourne from July 1941 to the run-up to D-Day. Units of the very secretive and highly effective No. 3 (Jewish) Troop of the No. 10 Commando, composed of native German speaking Austrian and German Jewish refugees, trained in Eastbourne. The town suffered badly during the war, with many Victorian and Edwardian buildings damaged or destroyed by air raids. Indeed, by the end of the conflict it was designated by the Home Office to have been 'the most raided town in the South East region'. The situation was especially bad between May 1942 and June 1943 with hit–and–run raids from fighter–bombers based in northern France. Ultimately, 187 civilian people died in the borough through enemy action.


title: Eastbourne

text: In the summer of 1956, the town came to national and worldwide attention, when John Bodkin Adams, a general practitioner serving the town's wealthier patients, was arrested for the murder of an elderly widow. Rumours had been circulating since 1935 regarding the frequency of his being named in patients' wills (132 times between 1946 and 1956) and the gifts he was given (including two Rolls Royces). Figures of up to 400 murders were reported in British and foreign newspapers, but after a controversial trial at the Old Bailey which gripped the nation for 17 days in March 1957, Adams was found not guilty. He was struck off for four years but resumed his practice in Eastbourne in 1961. According to Scotland Yard's archives, he is thought to have killed up to 163 patients in the Eastbourne area.


title: Eastbourne

text: After the war, development continued, including the growth of Old Town up the hillside (Green Street Farm Estate) and the housing estates of Hampden Park, Willingdon Trees and Langney. During the latter half of the 20th century, there were controversies over the demolition of Pococks, a 15th-century manor house on what is now the Rodmill Housing Estate, and the granting of planning permission for a 19-storey block at the western end of the seafront. The latter project (South Cliff Tower) was realised in 1965 despite a storm of protest led by the newly formed Eastbourne and District Preservation Committee, which later became Eastbourne Civic Society, and was renamed the Eastbourne Society in 1999. Local conservationists also failed to prevent the construction of the glass-plated TGWU conference and holiday centre (the building now operating as The View Hotel), but were successful in purchasing Polegate Windmill, thus saving it from demolition and redevelopment. Most of the expansion took place on the northern and eastern margins of the town, gradually swallowing surrounding villages. However, the richer western part was constrained by the Downs and has remained largely unchanged. In 1981, a large section of the town centre was replaced by the indoor shops of the Arndale Centre.


title: Eastbourne

text: In the 1990s, both growth and controversy accelerated rapidly as a new plan was launched to develop the area known as the Crumbles, a shingle bank on the coast to the east of the town centre. This area, now known as Sovereign Harbour, containing a marina, shops and several thousand houses, along with luxury flats, was formerly home to many rare plants. There has been continued growth in other parts of the town, and the central marshland has become farmland and nature reserves.


title: Eastbourne

text: In 2016–19 extensive remodelling work was undertaken to the prominent Arndale Centre, which takes up most of the town centre, and was originally built by Legal & General Assurance in the 1980s. This was then renamed The Beacon. The remodelling including the addition of a brand new cinema run by Cineworld.


title: Eastbourne

text: On 22 November 2019, a fire broke out in the basement of the Claremont Hotel. The nearby Pier Hotel was also evacuated.


title: Eastbourne

text: Eastbourne Local History Society was founded in 1970. It is a charitable, not-for-profit organisation in the United Kingdom whose objective is the pursuit and encouragement of an active interest in the study of the history of Eastbourne and its immediate environs and the dissemination of the outcome of such studies.


title: Eastbourne

text: As the major landowner, the Cavendish family has had strong connections with Eastbourne since the 18th century. The current President of the Society is William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington.


title: Eastbourne

text: Containing over 1,500 articles about the history of Eastbourne, the Society's indexed journal, "The Eastbourne Local Historian", is the major historical resource for the town and has been published quarterly since its inception in 1970. Over the years, the Society has published various books and booklets about the history of Eastbourne, twelve of which are currently in print.


title: Eastbourne

text: The South Downs dominate Eastbourne and the Eastbourne Downland Estate can be seen from most of the town. These were originally chalk deposits laid down under the sea during the Late Cretaceous, and were later lifted by the same tectonic plate movements that formed the European Alps, during the middle Tertiary period. The chalk can be clearly seen along the eroded coastline to the west of the town, in the area known as Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters, where continuous erosion keeps the cliff edge vertical and white. The chalk contains many fossils such as ammonites and nautilus. The town area is built on geologically recent alluvial drift, the result of the silting up of a bay. This changes to Weald clay around the Langney estate.


title: Eastbourne

text: A part of the South Downs, Willingdon Down is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. This is of archaeological interest due to a Neolithic camp and burial grounds. The area is also a nationally uncommon tract of chalk grassland rich in species. Another SSSI which partially falls with the Eastbourne district is Seaford to Beachy Head. This site, of biological and geological interest, covers the coastline between Eastbourne and Seaford, plus the Seven Sisters country park and the Cuckmere valley. Several nature trails lead across the Downs to areas such as the nearby villages of East Dean and Birling Gap, and landmarks like the Seven Sisters, Belle Tout Lighthouse and Beachy Head.


title: Eastbourne

text: Eastbourne's greater area comprises the town of Polegate, and the civil parishes of Willingdon and Jevington, Stone Cross, Pevensey, Westham and Pevensey Bay village. All are part of the Wealden District. Within Eastbourne's limits are:


title: Eastbourne

text: There was a community known as Norway, Eastbourne in the triangle now bounded by Wartling Road, Seaside and Lottbridge Drove. The name being a corruption of North Way, as this was the route to the north. The area is now a housing estate and the only evidence there was a Norway are a Norway Road and the local church whose sign reads "St Andrew's Church, Norway".


title: Eastbourne

text: The former fishing hamlet of Holywell (local pronunciation 'holly well') was situated by the cliff on a ledge some 400 yards to the southwest of the public garden known as the Holywell Retreat. It was approached from what is now Holywell Road via the lane between the present Helen Gardens and Bede's School, which leads to the chalk pinnacle formerly known locally as 'Gibraltar' or the 'Sugar Loaf'. The ground around the pinnacle was the site of lime kilns also worked by the fishermen. The fishing hamlet at Holywell was taken over by the local water board in 1896 to exploit the springs in the cliffs. The water board's successors still own the site, and there is a pumping station but little evidence of the hamlet itself, as by now even most of the foundations of the cottages have gone over the cliff.


title: Eastbourne

text: As with the rest of the British Isles and South Coast, Eastbourne experiences a maritime climate with warm summers and mild winters. The local climate is notable for its high sunshine levels, at least relative to much of the rest of England – Eastbourne holds the record for the highest recorded amount of sunshine in a month, 383.9 hours in July 1911. Temperature extremes recorded at Eastbourne since 1960 range from during July 1976, down to In January 1987. Eastbourne's coastal location also means it tends to be milder than most areas, particularly during night. A whole six months of the year have never fallen below 0 °C (32 °F), and in July the temperature has never fallen below . All temperature figures relate to the period 1960 onwards. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).


title: Eastbourne

text: Eastbourne Borough Council is responsible for much local governance, with representation provided by 27 councillors from 9 wards, with elections to the council being held every four years.


title: Eastbourne

text: The 2015 election resulted in a council made up of 18 Liberal Democrat and 9 Conservative councillors.


title: Eastbourne

text: The council operates out of Eastbourne Town Hall which was designed by W. Tadman Foulkes, and built between 1884 and 1886 under supervision of Henry Currey, the Duke of Devonshire's architect.


title: Eastbourne

text: East Sussex County Council has responsibility for local education, libraries, social services, civil registration, trading standards and transport. Out of the 49 seats, 9 are returned by Eastbourne voters.


title: Eastbourne

text: The 2009 East Sussex County Council election resulted in 29 Conservatives, 13 Liberal Democrats, 4 Labour and 3 Independent, of which Eastbourne provided 6 Liberal Democrats and 3 Conservatives.


title: Eastbourne

text: The Parliament Constituency of Eastbourne has always covered a greater area than the borough's nine wards, but due to population growth in the town, it has lost territory over time. At present the constituency includes all of the borough as well as the suburb of Willingdon.


title: Eastbourne

text: Eastbourne is a marginal seat currently represented by the Conservatives but with recent representation by the Liberal Democrats.


title: Eastbourne

text: Before Brexit in 2020, the town was part of the South East England constituency in the European Parliament.


title: Eastbourne

text: The overall population of Eastbourne is growing (between 2001 and 2008, the population grew from 89,800 to 94,800). Eastbourne is the second largest district or borough in East Sussex with an official resident population of 101,133 in 2014.


title: Eastbourne

text: The average age of residents has dropped in recent years as younger people move into the town and young family households have started to balance retirement communities. In 2014, 54% of residents were between 20 and 64, while 24% were over 65 years old, and there was an average age of 43. In 2013, the Office for National Statistics named an area in Meads as the first place in the UK to have an average resident age exceeding 70, with an average age of 71.1, compared with a national average age of 39.7.


title: Eastbourne

text: Ethnically, the town was said to be 93.7% white in 2007. Eastbourne has residents from a diverse range of international backgrounds, including notable groups of people from recent Polish, Portuguese, Chinese, Turkish, Italian and Greek origin.


title: Eastbourne

text: The 2001 UK Census indicated that the largest non-white ethnic group at the time was Chinese. Studies conducted by the local council in 2008 reflected growth in new residents from Eastern Europe, particularly Poland.


title: Eastbourne

text: Unemployment in Eastbourne was below the national average in 2013 figures, at 4.1% compared to 4.4% for England and Wales. The percentage of economically active people increased between 2001 and 2011. There has also been an upward trend in recent years, in the number of people with higher education qualifications.


title: Eastbourne

text: With a population of more than 100,000 people, Eastbourne has been a fast-growing town in the past few years, relative to the rest of the UK. Development around Eastbourne's Sovereign Harbour, Britain's largest composite marina, has created more than 3,000 new homes and an innovation centre for small businesses.


title: Eastbourne

text: Eastbourne is home to companies in a wide range of industries. Eastbourne's Chamber of Commerce has more than 500 members and holds many networking events to facilitate local business links.


title: Eastbourne

text: In 2008, Eastbourne was judged to have low productivity, in a national assessment by the National Audit Office. Productivity, measured by gross value added per employee, was recorded as £31,390 per year. This compared unfavourably with the South East overall, where GVA was £40,460 per employee per year. A possible explanation for this is that a high proportion of workers are in sectors which have relatively low productivity and wages.


title: Eastbourne

text: In recent years, five areas within Eastbourne have regularly featured in the most economically deprived 10% in all of England. Measured as Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs), two areas within Devonshire ward, two areas within Hampden Park, and one area within Langney, are all among the most deprived LSOAs in the country. Three quarters of LSOAs in the town (45 LSOAs or 76%) had a worse ranking for deprivation in 2010 than in 2007.


title: Eastbourne

text: In 2016, UK innovation charity NESTA named Eastbourne as a "creative cluster", with 969 creative firms representing 9.1% of total businesses in the town and providing employment for 2,703 people.


title: Eastbourne

text: The seafront at Eastbourne consists almost entirely of Victorian hotels. Along with its pier and bandstand, this serves to preserve the front in a somewhat timeless manner. The Duke of Devonshire retains the rights to the seafront buildings and does not allow them to be developed into shops.


title: Eastbourne

text: A stretch of of shingle beach stretches from Sovereign Harbour in the east to Beachy Head in the west. In a 1998 survey, 56% of visitors said that the beach and seafront was one of Eastbourne's best features, although 10% listed the pebbled beach as a dislike.


title: Eastbourne

text: Other recreation facilities include two swimming pools, three fitness centres and other smaller sports clubs including scuba diving.


title: Eastbourne

text: A children's adventure park is sited at the eastern end of the seafront. There are various other establishments scattered around the town such as crazy golf, go–karting and Laser Quest. The pier is an obvious place to visit and is sometimes used to hold events, such as the international birdman competition held annually, although this was cancelled in 2005 due to a lack of competitors. An annual raft competition used to take place where competitors, usually local businesses, circumnavigate the pier in a raft made by themselves, while being attacked by a water-cannon.


title: Eastbourne

text: A major event in the tourist programme of Eastbourne Borough Council is Eastbourne Airbourne, a large air show, held annually in August.


title: Eastbourne

text: Reports claim a £365m revenue from visitors in 2010, with an estimated 7,160 jobs supported by tourism.


title: Eastbourne

text: The town is home to the UK's largest book wholesalers, who have a 350,000 sq ft warehouse facility there. Gardners Books are one of the town's largest employers, with a majority of staff involved in packing and shipping books.


title: Eastbourne

text: A majority of Eastbourne's total employment is offered by small private businesses, though Eastbourne District General Hospital is a significant public sector employer.


title: Eastbourne

text: In 2010, it was assessed that Eastbourne had a public sector employment rate of 25.4% of overall jobs. This was noted as below average, compared with the UK as a whole.


title: Eastbourne

text: "Eastbourne Electric Light Co." started up on 4 September 1882 illuminating The Parades with 22 Brush arc lamps. Several large shops were lit with incandescent lamps powered from generators located at the Bedfordwell waterworks. An alternating current system was introduced in 1883, from a generating plant at The Old Brewery in Junction Road. By 1888 there were 1,700 lamps on the system; a new generating plant was added in 1899 including 30 kW, 75 kW, 100 kW, 50 kW, 150 kW and 200 kW generators. There were five circuits distributing electricity around the town through rubber insulated cables. After a few years the rubber deteriorated and faults were frequent. The "Eastbourne Corporation" purchased the undertaking on 1 January 1900 and the original Electricity Works was closed down in July 1902.


title: Eastbourne

text: "Eastbourne County Borough Corporation" began construction of Eastbourne power station in the first decade of the twentieth century. It supplied electricity, firstly for street lighting then other uses. The station had a single brick chimney and three wooden cooling towers. Upon nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948 ownership of the station passed to the British Electricity Authority and then to the Central Electricity Generating Board. In 1954 the station generated 2,652 MWh of electricity and burned 3,500 tons of coal. In 1966 the power station had a generating capacity of 9.0 MW and delivered 3,165 MWh of electricity. The CEGB later closed the station and it was subsequently demolished.


title: Eastbourne

text: The Towner Art Gallery is Eastbourne's principal arts gallery and arts education hub. After being located for many years in Eastbourne Manor House, within Gildredge Park, it relocated next to the Congress Theatre in 2009. The gallery holds one of the most important collections of public art in southern England.


title: Eastbourne

text: Eastbourne has three council-owned theatres: the Grade II* listed Congress Theatre, the Grade II listed Devonshire Park Theatre and the Grade II listed Winter Garden. The Grade II listed Royal Hippodrome Theatre used to be council-owned, but is now run by an independent charitable trust.


title: Eastbourne

text: The Devonshire Park Theatre is a fine example of a Victorian theatre with ornate interior decorations, and plays host to touring dramas and comedies and an annual local pantomime. The Royal Hippodrome has the longest running summer show in Britain. The London Philharmonic Orchestra makes regular appearances and has an annual season at the Congress Theatre.


title: Eastbourne

text: Other theatre venues in the town include the volunteer-run Underground Theatre, in the basement of the town's Central Library, and the Lamb Theatre, based at the Lamb Inn in Old Town, which was launched in August 2009 but reinstated an older tradition at the pub.


title: Eastbourne

text: Eastbourne had two cinemas: the Curzon Cinema and Cineworld. The Curzon Cinema was a small, family-run, independent cinema in Langney Road, in the town centre, which closed in January 2020. Cineworld is a large Multiplex cinema with eight screens, in the Beacon shopping centre.


title: Eastbourne

text: In 2013, the owners of the Curzon Cinema declared themselves "shocked" at the threats to their venue from a newly announced eight-screen multiplex, to be built in a renovated Arndale Centre nearby (the centre has been renamed as The Beacon).


title: Eastbourne

text: Despite its image as a dull 'retirement town', exciting cultural events are held in Eastbourne every year, and festivals are increasingly becoming popular.


title: Eastbourne

text: Some of the most important events are "Airbourne, Eastbourne's International Airshow", one of the biggest airshow in the United Kingdom. The show attracts every year huge crowds of fans from all over the world and in 2022 celebrated 28 years of airshow excellence.