It was certainly an emotional weekend for American fans in COTA this week as Nicky Hayden's bike and helmet were put on display in the pit lane.

The 'Kentucky Kid', who famously defeated Valentino Rossi to the 2006 world title in a historic and unprecedented upset, sadly lost his life in 2017 when he was struck by a car while cycling in the hills of Rimini, Italy. His death at just 35 years of age was a huge shock to the world of motorsport and one of those moments that just didn't seem possible to those who had seen him racing with his iconic #69. The number was immediately retired from MotoGP and immortalized in his honour following the accident.

At the USA Grand Prix in COTA, Hayden's championship winning Honda RC211V and helmet were displayed as a new memorial painting was unveiled along the pit wall.

In a touching moment before the race start on Sunday, Marc Marquez could be seen paying his respects by kissing his hand and touching the bike:

Like Marquez, Hayden spent the majority of his career with the Repsol Honda team before a brief stint at Ducati where he was Valentino Rossi's teammate.

In addition to his racing talent, he is also remembered as one of the funniest and easy-going personalities in the MotoGP paddock - always laughing and joking and bringing positivity in an era of fierce and combative rivalries.

The tribute is a stark reminder of the dangers of Motorsport - despite not being killed on the track, even the training puts the MotoGP athletes at risk.

It was another dominant display from Aprilia at the USA Grand Prix in COTA as Marco Bezzecchi made it five wins a row and completed a clean sweep of the opening rounds of the calendar.

Aprilia took control from the first few laps and followed up their statement performance in Brazil with an even bigger one in Texas.