The former world champion charged through from fourth on the grid to take the lead early on in the very wet race, and stayed ahead until Valentino Rossi overtook him on lap 15. Factory Honda rider Hayden then resisted a strong challenge from Rossi's Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo to take second place.
"I had nothing to lose here and just had to go for it," said Hayden.
"The bike felt pretty good in the wet when it wasn't heavy water, and I felt confident before the race. Up front, leading early, it's been a long time since I led a race and it felt really good coming out of the last corner and seeing nobody. I was thinking 'man, this is only supposed to happen in the movies', especially being at my home GP."
With the track drying slightly between showers in the middle of the race, Hayden felt he had taken too much out of his wet tyres by the time Rossi caught him.
"Unfortunately Valentino came through and had a little bit more speed than me," said the American. "I made a little run at him, but towards the end, when the track dried out, we used a lot of rubber off the tyre.
"When it rained again, on the edge I'd lost so much tread pattern and it went 'gnarly'. But still I pushed till the end, to the maximum, and I really left nothing on the table. I was riding as hard as I could, taking a few chances and I felt good up front."
The second place was Hayden's best result since he won at Laguna Seca in 2006, and his first podium of a difficult 2008 season, which has seen his relationship with the Repsol Honda team decline, and a foot injury sustained at the X-Games sideline him for two races.
"I really want to thank my team, my family, my fans and everybody for sticking behind me," said Hayden, who had to walk onto the podium with the aid of a stick due to his injured heel. "It's not been a really easy road lately, but that's how it goes."
Hayden is set to leave Honda at the end of the season, and should soon be confirmed as Casey Stoner's new teammate in the works Ducati squad.
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