AMA Pro Flat Track Announces Yamaha to Provide Increased Contingency Awards for 2015 Grand National Championship Season

No, Kenny 'The King' Roberts isn't coming out of retirement to contest the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season, but his former team and sponsor, Yamaha, has announced that they will be providing over $100K in rider contingencies for the upcoming season in The Rolling Thunder Show for riders competing in both the GNC1/Expert Twins and Singles Series, as well as in the GNC2/Pro Series aboard the company's FZ07 and YZ450F machines.

Rumors have been spreading rampantly since late last fall that several teams had acquired the newly released FZ07 engines to set up for the Twins Series events in order to compete at the top level against the long standing XR750 and the XR-killer Kawasaki EX650 that has taken the sport by storm since Bryan Smith's inaugural win aboard a Werner-Springsteen Racing Kawasaki at the Indy Mile in August 2010. Cory Texter showed up for Bike Week aboard a Babe Demay (one of Roberts' former tuners back in the day) built and Memphis Shades sponsored FZ07-inspired mount.

Shown in the shot above, The King distances himself from the field on the #2 Yamaha Factory Racing/Goodyear Tire/Bell Helmets-sponsored Yamaha XS650-based mount at the Terre Haute Action Track in route to his win in August 1976. Notice the rear wheel on Roberts' bike showing visible air underneath due to the rough conditions seen at Terre Haute that eventually led to the series leaving the track due to unsafe conditions after former '81 AMA Grand National Champion Mike Kidd's huge crash during the '77 event that led to Kidd breaking his wrist.

This is top line news for The Rolling Thunder Show as it opens up more chances for riders to pocket extra bucks while riding the marque's new FZ07, which as a parallel twin motor closely resembles the Kawi EX that has taken the sport by storm over the course of the last five seasons, and adds to the competition level in terms of more involvement for the sport and more choices for the teams and riders to work with in campaigning the course of the season. Bravo to Yamaha for stepping up to the plate in order to increase the monie$ available and choices available to go fast and turn left. Thanks goes to Yamaha for getting back into the action even deeper!

Check out the full release below from AMA Pro Racing to read all about the particulars in this great announcement from late last week.

AMA Pro Flat Track riders receive increased contingency commitment from Yamaha

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 19, 2015) - AMA Pro Flat Track riders on Yamaha equipment will benefit from a dramatically increased contingency program by the manufacturer in 2015.   Yamaha has expanded its program to both the premier Harley-Davidson GNC1 class presented by Vance & Hines, and the GNC2 class, offering up to $1,500 for individual riders per race in the top class and $500 in GNC2. A total of $106,400 is up for grabs between both classes for eligible "bLU cRU" riders over the course of the season.   "We can't thank Yamaha enough for increasing their commitment to flat track racing," said Michael Gentry, Chief Operating Officer of AMA Pro Racing. "Strong involvement from the manufacturers is key to keeping our sport among the most competitive in the world. It will help drive future growth, and we are confident any relationship with manufacturers, such as Yamaha, truly is mutually beneficial."   The increased commitment coincides with the recent debut of Yamaha's FZ-07 motorcycle. A number of FZ-07 engines were made available for flat track teams and an FZ-07-powered machine could make its AMA Pro Flat Track debut May 24 at the historic Springfield Mile in Springfield, Ill.         JD Beach on the #95 Van's Yamaha YZ450F is shown in action during the season-opening rounds of the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the Daytona Short Track earlier this month. Yamaha has announced an increased contingency program for riders in both the GNC1 & GNC2 ranks, both in the Twins and Singles Series, for the season ahead. Photo courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.         "I think AMA Pro is making a big effort to improve flat track racing, get it out there and get public awareness," said Keith McCarty, Racing Division Manager for Yamaha. "Now we have an FZ-07 engine that's going to be able to do well and compete in the twins class. We legitimately have a chance to win a twins championship now, which we really didn't have in the past. At Yamaha, racing is in our DNA, all forms of racing, and certainly dirt track is tied in. We want to be a part of it and show competitors we want to be a part of it by offering increased contingency."   For more information on Yamaha's contingency program, please visit: http://www.yamahamotorsports.com/sport/pages/2015-yamaha-off-road-racing-contingency-program   Every round of the 2015 AMA Pro Flat Track season will be available live, in high definition and free of charge for fans to watch online at www.FansChoice.tv.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines.  Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

Racing Historian Larry Lawrence Brings Us Some Great Reading About Former 'Trophy Girl' Lynn Griffis From the Camel Pro Series Days of the AMA Grand National Championship in This Week's Archives Column of Cycle News

Back in the early-mid '70s when I found the great sport of AMA Pro Flat Track and the AMA Grand National Championship (thanks to a great friend from the day, my motorcycle racing mentor Dick Jones), Camel cigarettes had just started sponsoring the Grand National Championship in what started as a three race pilot project to sponsor what was then known as the Camel Pro Series.

One of my very first races that I attended in September of '74 was one of those original Camel-sponsored races at the Terre Haute Action Track, located off of Highway 41 just south of Interstate 70 in the community of Terre Haute, Indiana, approximately 70 miles west of my home in Indianapolis.

What made finding this great sport even better and more special then I ever could have imagined, was watching Kenny Roberts on his Yamaha factory/Shell Thuet-tuned XS650-based flat tracker take 2nd-place to winner Cliff 'Corky' Keener (on one of Bart Markel's Harley-Davidson XR750s), and Dave 'Bones' Aldana taking the factory Norton to 3rd-place in what was the first half-mile race I ever attended. It was also the day that Roberts captured his second AMA Grand National Championship as a result of his 2nd-place finish.

As a result of what Camel considered a grand pairing, they went on to sponsor the whole schedule beginning with the '75 season, and what lasted into the early '90s (with a couple of years mixed in with Winston as the title sponsor) and turned the greatest form of two-wheeled racing into what is now considered the heydays of the Grand National Championship.

One of the brightest spots in those early years was Camel's 'trophy girl' Lynn Griffis, who represented the brand and the racing community in a grand way, and as noted by unofficial racing historian Larry Lawrence in this week's Archives column in Cycle News, made her 'The Most Memorable Miss Camel' along the way.

Ms. Griffis was a wonderful sight for a young lad such as myself, having just turned 18 and who not only lusted after the great racing afforded at every single moment when the bikes were on the track (and off), but after the beautiful woman that she was in gracing the racing community with not only her presence, but with her warm and welcoming attitude.

In the 1st shot above, the Sante Fe Speedway track announcer talks with Sante Fe Short Track AMA Grand National winner Hank Scott in August of '75 after former AMA National #14 Scott took the win on his Shell Thuet-tuned Shell Racing Specialties Yamaha 360 at one of the greatest short tracks I have ever had the pleasure of attending just outside of Chicago. Thuet is mostly obscured, in white shirt, behind Ms. Lynn Griffis, the Camel 'trophy girl' to Hank's left, and 3rd-place finisher Steve Freeman #68C to her left.

This was the first of many short tracks I have attended in my over five decades of watching and attending the great sport of the AMA Grand National Championship, and needless to say was one of the greats with one of my all-time favorite riders having just captured the win on a hot August night many moons ago.

In the 2nd shot above, Ms. Griffis helps The King, Kenny Roberts, celebrate at the Terre Haute Action Track in August '76 after KR had just scored the win on the half-mile over runner-up Jay Springsteen and 3rd-place finisher Hank Scott in what was the second-best half-mile race of the season (the first being the Columbus Half-Mile earlier in the year in which Springer turned the tables on The King in a fight that went down to the finish between the two racing icons.) Many of you may remember this shot from some of my previous articles here on Stu's Shots, and it has also appeared in print in the March/April 2012 issue of Inside Motorcycles. Also seen in this shot (far left, center, with hat on) is former Harley-Davidson factory team manager Dick O'Brien, who was Springer's boss in what was his first year as a factory Harley-sponsored racer and in what was his first of three in-a-row AMA Grand National Championship-winning seasons.

Needless to say, those were (and still are to this day) some of the best moments of my life that I have had the great privilege of being able to attend and get behind the scenes of, and in those days it was as much of a magical experience being able to take it all in as a young lad and still remains so to this day.

So enough with my ramblings of my youth long past (and still relived at every race I can still attend to this day), so take the time to check out Double L's great column from this week's CN about the lady that was a huge presence and who made her wonderful mark on the flat track racing community, and on a young kid who was fortunate enough to find what is still the best racing on wheels in the world.

Read on here! And thank you Grif (Lynn) Griffis for all you did to support the great sport of the AMA Grand National Championship, and for leaving long lasting (and lusting) thoughts on this once young kid!

Kenny Roberts' 1975 Indy Mile-Winning TZ750 Commemorative Posters to be On Sale at Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18

The bike that wouldn't die, Kenny Roberts' 1975 Indy Mile-winning Yamaha TZ750 sits on display at the 4th Annual Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP Weekend under the Yamaha display tent on August 27, 2011.  The bike, restored by Ray Abrams of A&A Racing, one of The King's first sponsors when he started flat tracking as a Pro rider back in the early '70s, was brought out to the Lucas Oil Indy Mile during the 2009 event for Roberts to spin some ceremonial laps on.  He did more then just spin a few parade laps, he flat out lit 'em up on the machine that he rode to glory in August of '75 and after proclaimed that Yamaha 'didn't pay him enought to ride' the thing.

This particular version of the machine has some subtle differences from the original hay bale-bouncing 4-cylinder two-stroke that The King rode into history some 37 years ago.  Other then some graphics differences from the original, this one also sports the Goodyear DT-2 design tires that were an off spring of Roberts and company having to hand cut road racing slicks in order to get it to hook-up better at the remaining events it was contested in back in the day.  The original wore the old-style DT-1 tires almost totally out and they were all but totally chunked at the end of the 25-lap main from laying the rubber down and spinning up the rear tire in what is probably still considered Roberts' greatest motorcycle racing victory over the course of his illustrious career.

Scott Jones Photography, the man who is responsible for some of the nicest MotoGP pictures in the world that are regularly featured on the MotoMatters.com website, is also known for one of his shots of KR Senior riding the bike during those demo laps three years ago, that will be featured in a special poster alongside the original shot of Roberts on the TZ taken by Bert Shepard.  Those posters will be available for sale at this weekend's Lucas Oil Indy Mile on Saturday, August 18.

You can read the full press release below to find out how you can get your hands on one of these way-cool posters of The King in two of his finest (of many) moments!

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Kenny Roberts’ Legendary Indy Mile Rides Remembered at 2012 Lucas Oil Indy Mile   Limited edition poster will be sold at the event and online.    (INDIANAPOLIS-August 14, 2012) The legendary Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National at the legendary Indy Mile track at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana has produced some of motorcycle racing’s classic moments. Kenny Roberts’ 1975 Indy Mile come-from-behind win aboard the “too tough to tame” Yamaha TZ750 is among the most famous. In 2009, Roberts re-created that historic ride in a thrilling exhibition run that brought the thousands on hand to their feet.   Scott Jones Photography of Oakland, CA has commemorated both of these memorable moments in a limited-edition poster print with matching images of both rides, together with a printed Kenny Roberts signature. On Saturday, August 18, 2012, at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile, a limited number of these prints will be available for sale for $20. The prints will also be available online at www.IndyMile.com while supplies last. Only 1000 will be printed, and never printed again.   The image of the 1975 ride is shown in black and white. It was made by Bert Shepard. The color image beside it was made by Scott Jones at the 2009 Indy Mile when Roberts’ “ceremonial” laps turned into blazing hot laps aboard the screaming TZ750. The poster prints are 32” x 16” and suitable for framing.   For those interested in a limited-edition of 50 prints hand-signed by Kenny Roberts, Scott Jones Photography may be contacted at http://bit.ly/KRrides. These special prints are Giclée canvas gallery wraps (canvas stretched around a wooden frame with black paper backing and wire hanging hardware installed), ready for display upon delivery.   The Lucas Oil Indy Mile returns as a featured event of the Indiana State Fair, and again coincides with the Red Bull Indianapolis GP weekend. Activities will be begin with gates opening at 2:00pm, timed-qualifying from 3:00pm-5:00pm, opening ceremonies 7:00pm with the first race at 7:30pm.     www.IndyMile.com

838 N. Delaware Street | Indianapolis, IN 46204 US

AMA Hall of Fame to Honor Legends Malcolm Smith and Mert Lawwill at 2012 Induction Ceremony on November 16-17

In a heat race that could be labeled the 'battle of the brands' of the day, riders line up for the start at the long-running Peoria TT round of the AMA Grand National Championship Camel Pro Series in August 1975.  Not to mention the legends of the day that were on-hand to circulate the amphitheatre track on their 330+ lb. machines while flying off the infamous Peoria infield jump at over 70 mph.

(L-R)  The late Mark Williams, wearing his Norton factory leathers, lines up on his #70 Triumph mount while looking over the rest of the front row.  Behind him is Ike Reed on the #90 Triumph, along with John Gennai #20 on another British parallel Triumph twin. 

'69 AMA Grand National Champion Mert Lawwill looks at ease on his factory Harley-Davidson XR750 #7, while Scott Drake on the #91 XR750 gets into position on the second row (partially obscured.)  Getting ready to roll up next to Mert is 1970 AMA Grand National Champion Gene Romero on his #3 C&J Frames-sponsored Yamaha XS650-based machine, and just to Romero's left is 2-Time and Defending AMA Grand National Champion Kenny Roberts on his #1 factory Yamaha parallel twin (mostly obscured by the AMA Pit Steward.)

Lawwill, who would hang up his leathers just over two years later, was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998, will be honored along with 1998 and fellow-inductee Malcolm Smith, at the November 16-17 AMA HOF Induction Ceremony.  Again being held at the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, the two will be lauded for their racing accomplishments as much as for their gifts back to the sport that have served them both so well.

You can read the full press release below from the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
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Malcolm Smith, Mert Lawwill to be honored as legends

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- March 14, 2012 -- Off-road racing icon Malcolm Smith and famed national champion dirt-tracker Mert Lawwill will be honored as Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legends at the annual AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov. 16-17.

"Just say the names 'Malcolm' and 'Mert' and the motorcycling community knows exactly who you are talking about," said Jeff Heininger, chairman of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, which raises funds for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. "These two legends starred together in the influential 1972 motorcycling movie 'On Any Sunday,' and we're very excited that they will star together again on our induction ceremony stage."

Smith, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998, was a pioneer in off-road motorcycling. He's famous for his accomplishments in the Baja 1000 and for his gold-medal winning rides in International Six Day Enduro competitions.

He gained fame beyond the motorcycling community when he appeared in "On Any Sunday." The scenes of Smith and Lawwill play-riding with popular actor Steve McQueen showed people across the country just how fun motorcycling could be. The movie helped launch an explosion in the popularity of off-road motorcycling in America.

Smith went on to become a successful businessman with his Malcolm Smith Motorsports motorcycle dealership in Riverside, Calif. He also built up Malcolm Smith Racing products, now known as MSR, which is owned by Tucker Rocky, where Smith works as a consultant. Known for his support of community projects, Smith also created a tax-free foundation that has raised more than $750,000 to support an orphanage and help educate children at El Oasis in Baja, Mexico, http://www.malcolmsmithmotorsportsfoundation.org.

"I'm humbled to receive this recognition because there are so many great riders and racers in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame," Smith said. "This is a great honor. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends, and meeting new ones, at the induction ceremony in November."

Lawwill, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998, was one of the top professionals on the AMA national circuit during the 1960s and 1970s. He was the 1969 AMA Grand National champion and "On Any Sunday" chronicled his bid to defend his title during the 1970 racing season. By the time Lawwill hung up his racing leathers in 1977, he had amassed an incredible 161 career AMA Grand National finishes during his 15-year racing career.

Lawwill went on to become one of the top motorcycle racing frame designers and builders. He then used his expertise to create custom racing mountain bikes that won numerous national and world titles, as well as prosthetic devices to enable amputees to ride motorcycles and bicycles.

"This is totally unexpected," Lawwill said. "I'm very grateful that my peers in the motorcycling community think enough of me to honor me in this way. I'm really looking forward to this event. "

Smith and Lawwill will be honored as Legends at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for the Class of 2012.

Past recipients of the Legends honor are roadracing icon Kenny Roberts and motocross legends Roger DeCoster and Bob Hannah.

About the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation

Founded in 1990 by the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, the goal of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is to tell the stories and preserve the history of motorcycling. Located on the campus of the American Motorcyclist Association in Pickerington, Ohio, the Museum's three major exhibition halls feature the machines and memorabilia of those who have contributed notably to the sport. The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to motorcycling, including those known for their contributions to road riding, off-road riding and all categories of racing, as well as those who have excelled in business, history, design and engineering.

More information can be found at MotorcycleMuseum.org. 

Contact: James Holter
Phone: (614) 856-1900, ext. 1280
E-mail: jholter@ama-cycle.org
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AMA Flat Track: Lucas Oil Indy Mile Tickets Now on Sale for August '12 Return to Indiana State Fairgrounds

When the AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series rolled into the Indiana State Fairgrounds in August of '75, the pits were abuzz with the presence of a group of specially built flat track two-stroke machines that were the brainchild of Yamaha flat track manager Pete 'The Godfather' Schick, Champion Frame's Doug Schwerma, and former 250CC World Champion Kel Carruthers.  With the Yamaha XS650-based parallel twin losing in the fight against the might of the Harley-Davidson XR750, even premier rider Kenny 'The King' Roberts was facing an uphill battle to try and retain his #1 plate for a third consecutive year.

With other riders on-hand getting a chance to try out the 125hp TZ750s including Steve Baker, Randy Cleek, and Rick Hocking, Yamaha was hoping to stack the deck against the H-D factory onslaught.  All but Roberts missed the shot, and The King had to go through his heat race, a semi race, and then come back to win his LCQ race in order to put the big yellow and black #1 bumblebee into the 18 rider National main event.

The rest as they say, is history, as Roberts rode the race of his life and career to eventually pass Harley teamsters Corky Keener and Jay Springsteen within inches of the checkered flag after 25 fast and furious laps to take what is still probably considered his premier motorcycle racing win, in front of a crowd estimated in the day at close to 18K paying butts in the seats, none of which got used that night as everyone was on their feet cheering on The King.  Roberts may not have retained that coveted #1 plate at the end of the season, but he re-wrote flat tracking history on that hot August night.

In the shot above, you can see Roberts talking (dead center of shot) with his Team Yamaha factory team members, including his long-time tuner Carruthers, in the pits at Indy on that historic day, with the #1 Team Yamaha TZ sitting ready to go.  Roberts' then-protege, Skip Askland, was pitted next to The King as you can see one of his #72Y machines just behind the Yamaha teamsters. 

Unidentified rider #72P rolls through the pits on his Yamaha parallel twin, while soon-to-be Rookie of the Year (and future 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion) Jay Springsteen walking towards his mount in his Vista Sheen #65X leathers.


With the sudden cancelation of the Lucas Oil Indy Mile round of the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com due to the tragic incidents several weeks earlier at the Sugarland concert, Indy's return for a fourth date in the new millenium would have to wait.  But as was announced with the newly released 2012 schedule in late December, the Indy Mile is back again and will return on August 18 along with the Indiana State Fair over the RedBull Indianapolis MotoGP weekend.

Tickets are now on sale for what will surely be one of the big highlights of the year, and you can read the full press release below courtesy of Family Events and AMA Pro Flat Track.
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AMA Pro Flat Track Is Back In Indy...

Tickets for the 2012 Lucas Oil Indy Mile On Sale Now!

A press release issued by the The Promotion Company-Family Events, promoters of the Indy Mile AMA Pro Flat Track event:

The Legendary Lucas Oil Indy Mile will run again on Saturday, August 18, 2012 during the Indiana State Fair, and again coinciding with The Red Bull Indianapolis GP weekend.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Advance tickets go on sale February 17 at 10:00 am EST, for the return of the Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National at the legendary Indy Mile track at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday, August 18, 2012. The Lucas Oil Indy Mile returns as a featured event of the Indiana State Fair, and again coincides with the Red Bull Indianapolis GP weekend. Activities for the Twins division of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles will be begin with gates opening at 2:00pm, timed-qualifying from 3:00pm-5:00pm, opening ceremonies 7:00pm with the first race at 7:30pm.

Glorious memories of the Indy Mile go back for decades. Top riders have always highly coveted a win at this race, long considered the "Crown Jewel" of AMA Pro Racing's oldest and most tradition-rich professional racing series. The race returned to the State Fairgrounds in 2008, after a nine-year hiatus, to large crowds and much fanfare. Last year's race was canceled due to the State Fair stage collapse, but will now return not only to the fairgrounds, but also as an official Indiana State Fair event thanks to the cooperative efforts of Fair officials, AMA Pro Flat Track, Peoria Motorcycle Club and Family Events, the race producer.

The list of those who have won at the Indy Mile Flat Track includes many of motorcycle racing's all-time best riders. Flat Track Grand National Champions Chris Carr, Scott Parker, Jay Springsteen, Ricky Graham, Bubba Shobert and Kenny Roberts have all won on the Indy Mile Flat Track. AMA Pro Flat Track racing has proven to be a fertile training ground for World Road Racing champions as well. MotoGP champions Nicky Hayden, Kenny Roberts Jr., Kevin Schwantz, Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson, Freddie Spencer and Kenny Roberts all got early career racing experience in Flat Track racing.

Flat Track is a uniquely American form of motorcycle racing. Riders pitch their machines sideways into the turns, inches apart from each other, at speeds of over 120 mph. Drafting on the long straights keeps the field close and provides the closest finishes in motorcycle racing. The legendary Indy Mile Flat Track is renowned for fast racing, intense drafting wars and multiple lead changes on every lap. Often a photo finish camera is needed to reveal the winner at the end of the furious 25-lap finale.

Tickets on sale now

Advance tickets available at The Indiana State Fairgrounds Box Office, any Ticketmaster location, www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. For additional ticket information and web links, please visit www.IndyMile.com. Advance tickets include admission to the Indiana State Fair and race ticket.

Information

The latest information on the Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National and a schedule of events may be found at www.IndyMile.com, www.familyevents.com, www.amaproracing.com, www.in.gov/statefair or by calling (317) 236-6515.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com. For additional information contact:   AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

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Yamaha's 50th Anniversary Site Pays Tribute to The King, Kenny Roberts, Senior

Kenny 'The King' Roberts' 1980 Yamaha YZR500 OW48 World Championship winning machine sits under the Yamaha tent during the 4th Annual RedBull Indianapolis MotoGP Weekend in August 2011.  Ridden by Roberts, Sr. to his 3rd of three 500CC World Championship Series titles during the 1980 season, the machine was tuned by former '69 250GP World Champion Kel Carruthers, who had worked hand-in-hand with The King for many years even before taking off across the pond to contest the European road racing series.  Roberts held off the onslaught of the Suzuki men in title rivals Randy Mamola, Marco Luchinelli and Franco Uncini in taking the three-peat in the championship that year.

Teamed with Venezulean rider Johnny Cecotto (winner of the '76 Daytona 200) on the factory yellow and black for the '80 season, the machine featured an aluminum frame and re-worked outer cylinders to route the exhaust towards the rear of the bike.  In spite of the constant changes on the machine throughout the race season, Roberts was still able to triumph in his quest to best the Europeans again.  Cecotto would finish the season ranked 7th behind a long line of RG500 Suzuki pilots including the aforementioned riders, and Valentino Rossi's father, Graziano Rossi, and Dutchman Wil Hartog.

The 1980 YZR500 carried two different designations during that season, OW48 and OW48R, which the 'R' was designated as the machine with the rear facing outer cylinders.  This was one of the last of the inline four-cylinder two-strokes before giving way to the v-four designs that became standard in the early '80s.
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Links to Yamaha's 50th Anniversary World Road Racing Championship Grand Prix site and stories

This section of Yamaha's 50th Anniversary talks about The King and his year's in the AMA Grand National Championship Series, winning the title in '73-'74, and his move to the European scene in '78:

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/wgp-50th/column/vol16/

Here Yamaha talks about the graphics on their machines:

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/wgp-50th/column/vol17/

Yamaha reviews The King's first 500CC World Championship in 1978:

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/wgp-50th/race_archive/season1970_79/1978/

The King's second 500CC World Championship in 1979:

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/wgp-50th/race_archive/season1970_79/1979/

And The King's third (and final as a rider) 500CC World Championship winning season in 1980:

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/wgp-50th/race_archive/season1980_89/1980/

Roberts lost the '83 500CC World Championship by a mere two points to new Honda hire, Freddie Spencer, in a season that was fought tooth and nail until the final lap of the final race:

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/wgp-50th/race_archive/season1980_89/1983/

And Motorcyclist Magazine online talks about Yamaha's tribute to The King on their 50th Anniversary site here:

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/newsandupdates/racing_news/122_1110_kenny_roberts_1978_to_1980_500cc_grand_prix_world_champion/index.html
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Watch Kenny Roberts Ride His '80 Yamaha YZR500 500CC World Championship Winner at Laguna Seca

As part of Yamaha Racing's 50th Anniversary celebration this year they brought one of their classics out of mothballs for one of the all-time icons of the sport of 500CC World Championship racing to do some demo laps at the Laguna Seca round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship in July 2011.  Kenny Roberts' 1980 YZR500 was brought out to do duty for the throng of fans on hand for the weekend's festivities, and The King as usual, did NOT disappoint.

Just as he had done at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile in 2009 when he ripped off some serious laps on his '75 Indy Mile winning TZ750, Roberts Senior went out and ripped off some laps on his 3rd World Championship-winning machine to wow the crowd at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca.  When The King hit the track, that same crowd went wild seeing the former 3-Time 500CC World Champion ('78-'80) run the 31 year old machine into the corners and wheelie out of the turns.  Whether you were around in those days or not, to either witness or watch from afar the feats that the Modesto, CA. resident accomplished in Europe, if you are a true racing fan you could feel the sense of accomplishment and thrill in the sound of the day's gone by in 2-stroke racing in watching a true icon of the sport giving back to his fans.

That same World Championship machine was also carted to the 2011 RedBull Indianapolis MotoGP round in August, and was on display under one of the Yamaha tents for all to see in the eastern part of the States.  Getting close to it was a chore, as anyone that passed the display wanted to get a close up look at one of the true racing machines in history.  And the look of appreciation and awe were never more evident than from the gentleman in the photo, by the look on his face!

Yamaha Racing put together a real nice little video of The King wowing the fans at Laguna this summer, and you can check it out below while you take in the great machine that was that took American Kenny Roberts to his 3rd of three 500CC World Championships, the first time someone from this side of the pond had done so in those days, opening the flood doors for other supermen of the sport like Kevin Schwantz, Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson (to name just a few) to head to Europe to show the boys what us Yanks had in the tank when it came to road racing at a highly competitive level. 

Bow to The King, and Long Live The King!
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Thanks to Yamaha Factory Racing for it's 50th Anniversary video celebration of The King bringing his 1980 YZR500 out of mothballs at the RedBull Laguna Seca MotoGP round to do some demo laps for the crowd.  Listen to the sound of that sweet thing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVROhRLrQ3U
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Reflections From the 4th Annual RedBull Indianapolis MotoGP Weekend

A quartet of riders hammers down the long front straight at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the third practice session for round 12 of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship.  Although announced attendance was down somewhat from last year, the crowd on Saturday actually appeared much larger then figures released.  IMS and Dorna were to have announced yesterday the return in 2012 of the MotoGP World Championship, but according to Mel Harder of IMS, this announcement has been delayed while 'final tweaks' to the schedule are being hammered out.
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Ben Spies motors off on his scooter behind the Yamaha Factory Racing team's garage after the 3rd practice session on Saturday, August 27.  Spies had a great race after qualifying later in the day on the front row, and being bumped back to 9th on the start of yesterday's final.  He rode like the champ he is, and most likely will be in MotoGP, to bring the 50th anniversay Yamaha home in 3rd behind winner Casey Stoner and runner-up and 2010 Indy winner Dani Pedrosa.
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Kenny Roberts' 1980 YZR500 championship winning machine sits on display under one of the Yamaha tents.  Roberts rode some demo laps on this very machine at Laguna Seca last month, but unfortunately it was 'display only' at Indy.
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Alvaro Bautista does some interesting stretching exercises as he rolls out of pitlane on the #19 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R during the 3rd practice session on Saturday morning, August 27.  Whatever they were, they definitely seemed to work as Bautista brought the machine home in the 6th spot in Sunday's round 12 action of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship race at Indy.
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Mike Lloyd of the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Ducati team had the team's AMA Pro Flat Track machine on display inside the massive Ducati Island area over the course of the weekend.  In both passes I made to try and get a chance to say hi, Mike was busy with the fans talking about the machine that currently sits in the 5th overall position in the point standings with rider Brad Baker.
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Nicky Hayden appears all smiles en route to Ducati Island at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 27.  Hayden had his worst-ever weekend at IMS in finishing 15th and only scoring a single point after choosing a tire that was too soft, even in the cooler Sunday final temperatures.  The Kentucky Kid spent the better part of his off-time away from the bike hanging with friends and family and signing autographs for many a fan over the weekend.
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As Dean Adams from SuperBikePlanet.com puts it, the 'bike that wouldn't die' was on display in the Yamaha display vendor area over the weekend at Indy.  This is the same replica TZ750 that The King rode some demo laps on at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile in 2009.  I never get tired of seeing this, even after 36 years passing!
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Colin Edwards' #5 Monster Energy Tech 3 Yamaha M1 sits on display under one of the Yamaha tents at the RedBull Indianapolis MotoGP round.  The Texas Tornado was inundated with questions as to his plans for the 2012 season, but wasn't able to shine a light on his future over the weekend.
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One of the late Gary Nixon's former Triumph Triples was on display in the paddock area at IMS over the weekend.  Former racer Steve Parrish also did a lap of honor on the bike to pay homage to his departed friend, who passed away in early August.
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The Monster Energy umbella girls kept many a race fan very happy while posing behind the MotoGP garages at Indianapolis, including long-time race fan and compatriot/best bud of Stu's Shots, Tim Powers.  Powers is also a former National WERA champion from back in the mid-late '80s.  Smiles all around!
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Figuring out the MotoGP credentials board takes an advanced degree in algebra.  WTF!?
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Kenny 'The King' Roberts Set to be Honored at 2011 Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Kenny Roberts on the #2 Yamaha Factory XS-650-based parallel twin leads Hank Scott #14 on the Shell Racing Specialties Yamaha XS-based machine during action in the August '76 AMA Camel Pro Series Grand National Championship main event at the Terre Haute Action Track Half-Mile National.  Roberts would go on to triumph over second-year rider Jay Springsteen on the #25 Harley-Davidson Factory XR-750, with Scott coming home in the 3rd spot.  However, at the end of the year, and for the second year in a row, Roberts would not be able to add to his '73-'74 AMA Grand National Championships, and Springer would go on to earn his first of three championships after the season-ending event at Ascot Park.

The King would go on to campaign the '77 AMA Camel Pro Series Grand National Championship Series, before turning his, and the world's attention to his quest to campaign the 500CC World Championship in Europe.  Roberts showed up on the European scene early in the '78 season to find that just about everyone figured he didn't have a chance against the likes of 2-Time World Champion Barry Sheene and the rest of the paddock in 500CC racing.  Just about everyone but The King, who would go on to earn his first of three consective 500CC World Championships and cement his status as one of THE all-time greats in world-level road racing.

The man who earned the double 'Grand Slam' in the AMA Grand National Championship Series (winner of each of mile, half-mile, short track, TT and road racing events in AMA GNC competition) would go on to campaign teams in the 250CC and 500CC World Championships for the likes of Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, John Kocinski, Mike Baldwin and many others, and would win three-500CC titles and one-250CC title as an owner, with Kocinski ('90 250CC World Champion) and Rainey ('90-'92 500CC World Champion.)
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The man who would be 'King,' Kenneth Lee Roberts from Modesto, CA., will be honored at the year-end Motorcycle Hall of Fame Ceremonies in Las Vegas as part of the AMA Legends and Champions Weekend at the Red Rock Casino.  Roberts, who was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998, won two AMA Grand National Championships in '73-'74, and then after the '77 season headed off to Europe to contest the 500CC World Championships, winning his first of three in a row titles in his 'rookie' season in 1978.

You can read the official announcement from the Motorcycle Hall of Fame below, as we all take time to bow to The King!

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/News/11-07-20/Motorcycle_Hall_of_Fame_Legend_Kenny_Roberts_to_be_honored_at_2011_induction_ceremony.aspx
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AMA Flat Track: Cycle News.com's Larry Lawrence 'Archives' Captures the '76 AMA Grand National Championship Series Season

Lynn Griffis, Miss Camel Pro, helps winner Kenny Roberts do the hat dance on the podium of race 19 of the 1976 AMA Camel Pro Series Grand National Championship Series season at the Terre Haute Action Track Half Mile on August 15, 1976, after a fast and close battle of 20 laps.  Roberts, on his Team Yamaha 750 parallel twin, had just outlasted a charge by runner-up Jay Springsteen on his #25 Harley-Davidson Factory XR750 and Hank Scott, on his #14 Shell Racing Specialties Yamaha 750 parallel twin.  The race only lasted 9:10:31, but it seemed much longer with the fight at the front going on between three of the legends of AMA Flat Track Series racing.  Roberts and Springer had earlier in the season fought tooth-and-nail at the Columbus, OH. Charity Newsies Half Mile at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in a race that had gone down to the wire, with Springer coming out on top in that 20-lap thriller in late June.
Springer went on to win his first of three-in-a-row Grand National Championships when the dust had settled at the final round of the season at the Ascot Park Half Mile in Gardena, CA. in October of '76, and clinched his seventh win of the season (and ninth overall at that time) and his first championship over '75 AMA Grand National Champion Gary Scott by a margin of 21 points, 301-280.  The King rounded out the top three on the season with 265 points, doing an admirable job at the time of keeping his Yamaha in sight of the powerful and almost-perfect XRs of the H-D Factory team.  Also seen in this shot on the far left side is former H-D Factory Team Manager, the late Dick 'O.B.' O'Brien, wearing a Camel Pro hat with his wire rimmed glasses, and a smile that wouldn't go away after having replaced former rider Gary Scott with Springsteen in between the end of the '75 season and the first round of the '76 season in late January at the Houston Astrodome doubleheader rounds.  For that matter, some of you other older heads out there may even recognize others in this one!
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After having followed AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship Series racing since mid '74, I have to admit I'm a big sucker for the nostalgia of the years gone by of having been able to see stars like Kenny Roberts, Gary Scott, Mike Kidd, Hank Scott, Rex Beauchamp, Corky Keener, Jay Springsteen and many others battle it out in the 'glory days' of racing.  These were the legends of the day, much like stars such as Jake Johnson, Henry Wiles, Sammy Halbert, Joe Kopp, Kenny Coolbeth, Jared Mees and a host of others are in today's AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship Series.

The years that shaped the grooming of a young high school kid who had found the addiction of his life were very powerful, so when I come across some great reading about those days, I pretty much turn to butter.  Larry Lawrence maintains his website, The Rider Files.com, and as many of you know writes one of the best columns for Cycle News.com, 'Archives.'  Paying tribute to those years of lore and lust from the earlier days in motorcycle racing history, LL's column is a MUST READ for anyone even slightly interested in the racing of those days gone by.  Whether it be road racing, flat track, motocross or hare scrambles, this column is sure to bring back memories to those of you who have come up through the years around motorcycle racing of some sort or another.

This week's Archives in CN looks back at the '76 AMA Camel Pro Series/Grand National Championship Series season, when The King, Springer and that same host of other legends of the sport criss-crossed the country in a 90K mile journey to capture the coveted #1 plate in Grand National racing in what was a 28 race series schedule. 

You can read part one of Larry's great trip back in history here:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20110510#pg84
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And just to keep your palate wet while we wait on what will surely be a super part two review of the '76 season, you can read this great article written by Sam Moses, and posted in Sports Illustrated's archives.  This story was originally penned in November 1976 and appeared in print in S.I.:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1091761/index.htm
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All Hail The King: Happy Birthday to Kenny Roberts From Stu's Shots!

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Kenny Roberts twists the throttle on the infamous Yamaha TZ750 flat tracker during practice for the Syracuse Mile round of the AMA Camel Pro Flat Track Series in September of 1975. The first event after his legendary win on the Indy Mile on August 23, 1975, The King didn't have the luck at Syracuse that took him to the front in the last few feet of the main at Indy some 14 days earlier. Not only was he not able to get the big TZ to hook up on the New York State Fairgrounds mile oval, but he crashed his parallel twin later in the day, shearing the front end off of the #1 machine and pretty much ending his run to three-peat his title to his rival Gary Scott on the #64 H-D Factory XR, with only four events left on the season. Roberts was able to put the TZ into the field at San Jose some two weeks later, with middling results, and the AMA eventually banned it and all multi-cylinder machines from AMA Flat Track Grand National Championship events at the end of the '75 season.
Although The King is most remembered for that Hot August Night at Indy for his mastery of the big TZ on the mile oval, his prowess in all forms of AMA Grand National Championship Series events reaped rewards to the tune of the '73-'74 AMA Grand National Championships, as well as winning the coveted Grand Slam in GN competition, only the second rider at the time other then Dick Mann to win on the mile, half mile, short track, TT, and road racing circuits that comprised the series in the day. And he did accomplish that feat twice while racing in the AMA GNC/Camel Pro Series.
He accomplished his second Grand Slam during the '75 season, which was comprised of 20 events that season, only three of which were road racing events. Roberts won 2 of those 3 at Monterey (now better known as Laguna Seca) and Ontario, with Yamaha road racing team mate Gene Romero winning the Daytona round. He also won the season opening round at the Houston TT, the Dallas Short Track in April, and the Ascot Half Mile in late September. He still holds the record for the 'quickest rider to complete' the Grand Slam, doing so in two years, six months and 20 days of racing in the top tier series, when he won his first Grand Slam between January of '72 and August of '74. KR still sits seventh with 33 total AMA Grand National career wins after all these years, 18 of those coming in road racing events which were still part of the series before they split the championships in the mid-late '80s.
Roberts did his best against the might of the H-D XR, but the alloy-based V-Twin was too much for the parallel twins of the Yamaha, Triumph and Norton machines of the day, thrashing the competition in the flat track series, something it has been able to still do some three and a half decades later. By the end of the '77 season, Yamaha shut down the flat track team, and The King was off to Europe to take on the world.
Hitting the shores of Europe with a big bang, he won the '78-'80 500CC World Championship and set the bar for future U.S.-based riders to continue his legacy in the World Championships. After retiring from active competition, he later won four World Championships as a team owner ('90-'92 500CC with Wayne Rainey, '90 250CC with John Kocinski) and helped to raise rider salaries and improve safety along the way.
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The King slides it through turn one at the Terre Haute Action Track during a heat race for the half mile round of the AMA Camel Pro Flat Grand National Championship Series in August of '75. A little over six days later The Man from Modesto would make motorcycle flat track racing history, but on this hot summer afternoon he was doing his best to keep the XS650-based parallel twin within reach of the XR-strong field.
This was the first year that the Yamaha Factory had scaled back it's flat track efforts to just Roberts, after running the 'super team' of '70 AMA Grand National Champion Gene Romero and Donnie Castro on the team in '73-'74 as The King's team mates. KR ran the team and contracted all of the work, while Yamaha supplied the bikes. Although he eventually lost the championship to long-time competitor Gary Scott in '75, The King still took the twin to wins at Ascot in late '75 and '76 at the San Jose Half Mile and Terre Haute Half Mile.
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With 2010 winding down, Stu's Shots wanted to close out this great season of racing by wishing The King, Kenny Roberts, Sr. a Very Happy Birthday! The Man From Modesto, who took U.S. flat track racing and road racing by storm in the '70s, and eventually the World road racing scene down the same road of competitive devastation, turns 59 today.

One of the most outspoken, let alone out right competitive riders to ever throw a leg over a motorcycle racing machine, Kenny, Sr. set the bar for motorcycle racing all over the world in the '70s and early '80s as a rider, and into the '90s as a team owner. Winning two U.S. titles and three titles as a rider in Europe, he also won four titles as a team owner after retiring from regular, active competition in the early-mid '80s.

Stu's Shots wants to take this time to wish The King a Happy Birthday and honor him with these two never-before seen or published photos that I took of him in AMA Grand National Championship competition in the summer of '75, when I as well was just a young one.

Coming from the archive vaults of yesteryear, we salute The King on his day!

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Kenny Roberts' bio at Wikipedia.com:

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