102 Facts About Kenny Roberts

Kenny Roberts is one of only four riders in American Motorcyclist Association racing history to win the AMA Grand Slam, representing Grand National wins at a mile, half-mile, short-track, TT Steeplechase and road race events.

Kenny Roberts left his mark on Grand Prix motorcycle racing as a world championship winning rider, a safety advocate, a racing team owner, and as a motorcycle engine and chassis constructor.

Kenny Roberts's dirt track-based riding style changed the way Grand Prix motorcycles were ridden.

In 2000, Kenny Roberts was named a Grand Prix Legend by the FIM.

Kenny Roberts is the father of 2000 Grand Prix world champion Kenny Roberts Jr.

Kenny Roberts was born to Alice and Melton "Buster" Roberts in Modesto, California.

Kenny Roberts rode his first motorcycle at the age of 12 when a friend dared him to ride a mini bike.

Kenny Roberts built his own motorcycle by attaching his father's lawn mower engine to a bicycle frame.

Kenny Roberts began his career in dirt track racing after attending a local race in Modesto and deciding that he wanted to compete himself.

Kenny Roberts's father purchased a Tohatsu bike for him, but once it proved itself uncompetitive as a race bike, he moved up to a more powerful Hodaka motorcycle.

Kenny Roberts showed a natural talent for dirt track racing and began winning local races.

Kenny Roberts made the decision to drop out of high school before his senior year to pursue a career in motorcycle racing.

Kenny Roberts was allowed to compete professionally when he turned 18, and on the day after his eighteenth birthday, he entered his first professional race at San Francisco's Cow Palace, finishing in fourth place.

In 1971, Doyle and Kenny Roberts approached Triumph's American distributor to ask about the possibility of a sponsored ride, but were told that Kenny Roberts was too small for one of their motorcycles.

Kenny Roberts made a name for himself that year by battling the dominant Harley-Davidson factory dirt track team aboard an underpowered Yamaha XS650 motorcycle, making up for his lack of horsepower with sheer determination.

Kenny Roberts finished the season ranked fourth in the country.

Kenny Roberts observed Saarinen's riding style where he shifted his body weight towards the inside of a turn.

Kenny Roberts tried Saarinen's technique and found that it helped settle the motorcycle.

Kenny Roberts adopted the cornering style and exaggerated the body shift to a greater extent than Saarinen had by extending his knee out until it skimmed the track surface.

In 1973, in just his second season as an expert, Kenny Roberts won the AMA Grand National Championship.

Kenny Roberts is a small man dressed in yellow and most clearly from another world.

Kenny Roberts began to build his lead over Agostini until his tires began to lose their adhesion, forcing him to reduce his speed and, eventually allowing Agostini to overtake him for the victory.

Kenny Roberts then traveled to England with a team of American riders to compete against a British riding team in the 1974 Transatlantic Trophy match races.

Kenny Roberts dispelled any such notions by winning three of the six races and finishing second in the remaining three races.

Kenny Roberts was the top individual points scorer in the event with 93 points, five more than Barry Sheene, the top British rider.

Kenny Roberts eventually crashed but, recovered to finish on the podium with a third-place finish.

Kenny Roberts claimed his second consecutive Grand National championship, winning six races and surpassing his 1973 points record by scoring 2,286 points in the 23 race series, collecting points in all 23 races.

Kenny Roberts continued his road racing successes in 1975, winning three out of four races in the 1975 Transatlantic Match races.

Kenny Roberts made up for his bike's lack of power with an almost fearless, determined riding style.

Kenny Roberts battled Harley-Davidson factory rider Gary Scott throughout the 1975 season but mechanical breakdowns hampered his title defense.

Kenny Roberts had been leading the Daytona 200 when mechanical problems yielded the victory to his Yamaha teammate Gene Romero.

At the Ascot TT, Kenny Roberts battled from 17th place to take the lead before a broken sprocket ended his race.

Kenny Roberts commenting after his Indy Mile victory aboard the soon-to-be-banned Yamaha TZ750 dirt track motorcycle.

Kenny Roberts' fearless riding style was highlighted at the 1975 Indy Mile Grand National.

The motorcycle wasn't completed until just before race time so Kenny Roberts had never ridden it until he arrived for the race in Indianapolis.

Kenny Roberts spent the practice period trying to learn how to cope with the excessive amount of wheel spin caused by the high horsepower engine and, then barely qualified for the main race as he struggled with the steep learning curve of the new motorcycle.

Kenny Roberts later recalled the Indy Mile victory on the Yamaha TZ750 as the most significant dirt track accomplishment of his career.

Kenny Roberts had been leading the Daytona 200 when tire troubles forced him to make a lengthy pit stop, and Johnny Cecotto went on to win the race.

Kenny Roberts led the Loudon Classic when a lapped rider collided with him causing him to crash out of the race.

Kenny Roberts dropped to third in the national championship as Jay Springsteen claimed the title for the Harley-Davidson team.

Kenny Roberts returned to England in April 1977, winning four out of six races at the 1977 Transatlantic Match races.

Kenny Roberts then travelled to Italy where he raced in the Imola 200, leaving no doubt he was capable of competing at the international level by winning both legs and setting a new track record.

At first, Kenny Roberts resisted the move to racing in Europe as, he felt that he had left unfinished business racing against the Harley Davidson team in the AMA Grand National Championship but, realized that Yamaha didn't have a competitive dirt track motorcycle.

Kenny Roberts said that he was initially indifferent about competing in Europe, but when he read that Sheene had labeled him as "no threat", he made up his mind to compete.

Kenny Roberts' riding style, bred on the dirt tracks of America, revolutionized road racing.

Kenny Roberts did just the opposite, braking early then, quickly applying the throttle which resulted in the rear tire breaking traction and spinning.

Kenny Roberts's riding style was reminiscent of dirt track riding, where sliding the rear tire to one side is used as a method to steer the motorcycle around a corner.

The 1978 season started with Kenny Roberts winning the Daytona 200 in a dominating fashion.

Kenny Roberts then won a rain-shortened Imola 200 race and was the second highest individual scorer behind Pat Hennen at the 1978 Transatlantic Match races.

Kenny Roberts began to realize that many of the world championship race promoters were connected to the FIM ruling body, an arrangement that left little incentive to make safety improvements to the race circuits.

Kenny Roberts was accustomed to racing in the AMA where competitors could rely on an AMA referee to ensure that race promoters provided a safe venue however, competitors racing in the FIM world championships were provided no such recourse.

When Kenny Roberts arrived at the 1978 Spanish Grand Prix, he was denied entry into the 500cc race.

The thought that race organizers feigned having no knowledge of the Yamaha factory sponsored American champion incensed Kenny Roberts, who felt that the FIM was trying to exert their authority on the newcomer.

Kenny Roberts responded by taking the pole position and setting the lap record.

Kenny Roberts broke the unofficial lap record during practice then qualified second and finished in third place, ahead of Sheene in fourth place to claim the first world championship for an American rider in Grand Prix road racing history.

Kenny Roberts commenting after his refusal to accept the winner's trophy at the 1979 Spanish Grand Prix.

Kenny Roberts's injuries caused him to miss the season opening Grand Prix in Venezuela, but he completed an impressive recovery by winning the second round in Austria, followed by a second place in Germany, and another victory in Italy.

An angered Kenny Roberts proceeded to win the race, and then proceeded to the podium where he refused to accept the winner's trophy, telling the promoters that they should melt their trophy and sell it in order to help pay the competitors' expenses.

Kenny Roberts' act was merely a symbolic protest as, the FIM felt no compulsion to change the status quo but, to his fellow competitors, his act of standing up to the FIM signaled a break from the old ways and galvanized them into taking action to further rider demands for increased safety.

Kenny Roberts further irritated the FIM when he began talking to the press about forming a rival racing series to compete against the FIM's monopoly.

The series then moved on to Britain, where Kenny Roberts would be involved in one of the closest races in Grand Prix history.

Minutes before the start of the race, Kenny Roberts' Yamaha blew a seal and sprayed the bike with oil.

Kenny Roberts's crew managed to replace the seal in time, but Roberts went to the starting line with his gloves coated with oil, causing his hand to slip on the throttle during the race.

The event featured numerous lead changes throughout the 28 lap race, with Kenny Roberts winning ahead of Sheene by a narrow margin of just three-tenths of a second.

Kenny Roberts ended the season with a victory at the prestigious Mallory Park Race of the Year.

In December 1979, Kenny Roberts made good on his threats when he, along with the other top world championship riders, released a letter to the press announcing their intention to break away from the FIM and create a rival race series called the World Series.

When Kenny Roberts first arrived on the Grand Prix scene, motorcycle racers were competing for as little prize money as $200, at venues such as the Imatra Circuit in Finland that featured railroad crossings and hay bales wrapped around telephone poles.

Kenny Roberts adopted a confrontational, sometimes belligerent stance with race promoters, challenging the previously accepted poor treatment that motorcycle racers of the day were accustomed to receiving.

In February 1980, Kenny Roberts made a remarkable return to the American Grand National Championship for two races at the season opening Houston TT and short-track events held in the Houston Astrodome over two evenings.

Kenny Roberts followed that the next evening with a third place in the Houston short-track national.

Kenny Roberts won the first three races as the Suzuki team appeared to be in disarray, but by the third race, the Suzukis of Mamola and Marco Lucchinelli were making things more difficult for Kenny Roberts.

Kenny Roberts raced to a second-place finish behind Marco Luchinelli at the non-championship Imola 200 race.

Kenny Roberts' bike had a suspension failure in the Grand Prix season opening Austrian Grand Prix, but he rebounded to win the next two races in Germany and Italy.

Kenny Roberts came back to score a second place behind Lucchinelli in the Belgian Grand Prix, but was struck by misfortune when a bad case of food poisoning forced him to miss the San Marino Grand Prix.

Kenny Roberts switched to Dunlop tires for the 1982 season, as Goodyear pulled out of motorcycle racing.

Kenny Roberts won the season-opening round in Argentina on the old square-four Yamaha, but then switched to the new OW61 YZR500 V4 engined bike.

Kenny Roberts came in third at the Austrian Grand Prix then, sat out the French Grand Prix at Nogaro as he and the other top riders boycotted the race over unsafe track conditions.

Kenny Roberts then won the Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama ahead of Sheene, and scored a second place behind Suzuki rider Franco Uncini in the Dutch TT.

Kenny Roberts then injured his knee and finger at the British Grand Prix and had to miss the Swedish round, but by then the world championship had been claimed by Uncini with a total of five victories while Kenny Roberts fell to fourth place.

Kenny Roberts announced that the 1983 season would be his final year in Grand Prix competition.

Kenny Roberts began the season with his YZR500 having problems with overheating and rear suspension, while Spencer started strongly, winning the first three races and five out of the first seven.

Kenny Roberts was leading the second race in France, when his Yamaha split an expansion chamber causing it to lose power as Spencer won, with Kenny Roberts falling to fourth place.

In Round 3 at Monza, Kenny Roberts crashed while leading Spencer three laps from the finish.

Kenny Roberts came back to win the German Grand Prix, but then finished second to Spencer in the Spanish Grand Prix in a race Spencer called one of the toughest of his career.

Kenny Roberts then went on a three-race winning streak with victories in the Netherlands, Belgium and England, while Spencer stayed close with a third place and two second-place finishes.

Kenny Roberts led Spencer going into the last lap of the race.

Kenny Roberts considered Spencer's pass to be foolish and dangerous, and exchanged angry words with him on the podium.

Kenny Roberts would have to win the final round at the San Marino Grand Prix with Spencer finishing no better than third place in order for Kenny Roberts to win his fourth world championship.

In July 1985, Kenny Roberts won the pole position at the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race, held in Japan.

Kenny Roberts returned to compete in the 1986 Suzuka 8 Hours, this time teaming up with American Mike Baldwin.

Kenny Roberts was a three-time winner of both the Daytona 200 and the Imola 200, and was a six-time winner of the Laguna Seca 200.

In 1990, Kenny Roberts secured the financial support of the Marlboro cigarette company, and his team became the official Yamaha factory racing team.

In 1997, Kenny Roberts stunned the racing world when he left Yamaha after more than 25 years to start his own motorcycle company.

Kenny Roberts had grown weary of battling over the direction he felt the Yamaha team needed to pursue.

Kenny Roberts decided to take advantage of rules allowing lighter weights for three-cylinder motorcycles after observing the agility and handling advantage of Spencer's Honda NS500 during the 1983 season.

Kenny Roberts turned to the KTM factory to provide engines for the 2005 season, however after ten races KTM abruptly withdrew their support on the eve of the Czech Republic Grand Prix, forcing the team to miss several races.

Kenny Roberts' riding style in which he forced the motorcycle's rear wheel to break traction to steer around a corner, essentially riding on paved surfaces as if they were dirt tracks, changed the way Grand Prix motorcycles were ridden.

Kenny Roberts' cornering method of hanging off the motorcycles with his knee extended forced him to use duct tape as knee pads, and eventually led to the introduction of purpose-built knee pucks used by all motorcycle road racers today.

Kenny Roberts was one of the first riders to challenge the FIM over the way they treated competitors and helped improve prize money as well as the professionalism of the sport.

The race eventually attained Grand Prix status in 1988 and in 1993, Kenny Roberts took on the role of promoter, providing financial backing for the 1993 United States Grand Prix.

Ironically, Kenny Roberts has stated that he considers himself a dirt tracker at heart and only took up road racing because it was necessary to do so if a rider was going to compete for the Grand National championship.

Kenny Roberts said that he would have preferred to remain in the United States to compete in the Grand National championship if Yamaha or another manufacturer had been able to construct a dirt track racer capable of competing with Harley-Davidson.