Long Live The King-Happy Birthday to Kenny Roberts!!

As many of you already know, coming up through the ranks of watching flat track racing

in the early to mid 70s, I had the pleasure of seeing Kenny 'The King' Roberts win

his second AMA Grand National Championship at my very first flat track race at Terre Haute

back in August of '74. Corky Keener won the race on one of Bart Markel's XR's, shared in the

normal revelry in victory lane, and then watched as I did, a virgin to the sport, as the AMA

handed the #1 plate and standard laurels to The King for clinching his 2nd Grand National

Championship that day. From that day on, I was not only hooked, but realized I was seeing

history in the making. If not re-writing of the history books as they pertained to motorcycle

racing.

Today we wish that same man a VERY Happy Birthday, and celebrate his two AMA Grand

National Championships in '73-'74, his three 500cc World Championships in '78-'80, and his

clinching of three 500cc World Championships as a team owner with Wayne Rainey in '90-'92 as well as his 250cc World Championship in '90 with John Kocinski. Among many other highlights

throughout his career. If you would like a quick synopsis of that career, read on here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Roberts

We want to thank The King as well for all the years, all the memories, and all the kickin' a..

and taking names he has done over the course of the last four decades. It has been a great run, and after seeing you hot lap at Indy on the TZ replica some four months ago, we can't wait to see

you back on track as an owner, or even wowwing the fans doing demo laps again soon. If not

for you, motorcycle flat track and road racing wouldn't even be a shadow of what it is today!

God Bless, Happy Birthday, and Long Live The King!

The shots for this momentous post today were taken during the '75 season at Terre Haute and

at Louisville during practice and qualifying for those events. I hope you enjoy as we celebrate

the birth of The King. Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you all next year!