Fifth place at Le Mans took him to 10th in the championship after five rounds, ahead of reigning champion Nicky Hayden.
Several prominent MotoGP racers use Arai including Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa.
Nicky Hayden, an American professional motorcycle racer, known as The Kentucky Kid
Fastest Lap - Nicky Hayden, Honda, Time = 1'57.903, Av Speed = 164.270 km/h
With Rossi struggling to find consistency, he was a major challenger, along with Ducati's Loris Capirossi and Honda riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa.
Hayden Panettiere | Nicky Campbell | Hayden Planetarium | Tom Hayden | Nicky Hayden | Nicky Romero | Nicky Henderson | Hayden Christensen | Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden | Teresa Nielsen Hayden | Hayden | Sterling Hayden | Nicky Wire | Nicky Hilton | Hayden (musician) | Hayden Black | Bill Hayden | Russell Hayden | Robert Hayden | Nicky Rackard Cup | Nicky Graham | Michael Hayden | Hayden Skipworth | Hayden Carruth | Hayden Bell | Gillette Hayden | Cathal Hayden | Carl Hayden | Torey Hayden | Nicky Smith |
The race at Indianapolis was a particularly difficult due to track conditions: the arrival of Hurricane Ike over Indiana meant cold temperatures, heavy winds and rain for the whole race duration; the race was a battle between Rossi and former World Champion Nicky Hayden, who eventually took his first podium of the season.