(Interview) Father and son champions face the world

Acidreign · 03-21-2006, 1:11 PM

By Alan Baldwin / LONDON (Reuters) - Motorcycling's King Kenny, three times 500cc world champion Kenny Roberts, is looking forward to the start of a new grand prix season more than he has in years.

The 54-year-old Californian has come back from the brink after a 2005 nightmare that threatened to sink his British-based MotoGP team.

Team KR missed a fistful of races after engine suppliers KTM pulled out but now they are revving up for the new season starting in Spain on Sunday with Honda support and another champion in the saddle -- Roberts' son Kenny junior who has joined from Suzuki.

"We're back to it being an all-American team and enjoying it," Roberts senior told Reuters. "Kenny's got a big smile on his face, he really actually enjoys riding the thing and we enjoy building it.

"It's sort of a dream come true really.

"There's been a lot of smoke and mirrors over the last 10 years and we really have not been able to enjoy the success that quite frankly we should have had at times.

"This puts us back up into the game in a very big way."

Roberts won three 500cc titles from 1978-80 and was acclaimed as a pioneering showman on two wheels.

He retired and came back as a Yamaha team boss before, in 1996, building his own grand prix bike with initial backing from Malaysia's Proton.

They struggled to match the dominant Japanese teams but having a competitive Honda engine, and the 2000 world champion, on board has raised morale no end.

"It's really a big shot in the arm for Team Roberts for Honda to help us and for Kenny to come back," said Roberts.

"Now we're raising our game again and getting everybody honed in to not thinking about what it costs but about how we can win.

"Last year was a disaster of a sponsorship year and its going to take us a while to dig ourselves out of that.

"Everybody's sort of saying lets see how it goes and sitting on the fence but I think people are going to be genuinely surprised at how well this thing goes.

"After the KTM deal I think I'm much sharper than I was."

Roberts said there were pros and cons in having his son riding for him.

On the plus side, his expertise would pay immediate dividends in terms of technical feedback: "Racing against the best companies in the world, you really need someone on it that can guide you.

"We don't have all the resources that everybody else has so we've got to have better people, a better rider and better direction," said Roberts.

"But it's not easy having your son race for you. Quite frankly, it's not an easy sport. It's not as safe as golf. And half the time I'm hoping they slow down and half the time I need them to speed up."

Roberts cannot hope to match the big guns, Yamaha with Valentino Rossi and Honda with young guns Marco Melandri and Dani Pedrosa.

He can, however, still get satisfaction from taking them on and perhaps pulling off the odd upset.

"I don't get the same feeling out of anything that I used to get, so that's not going to change," he smiled wistfully.

"(The feeling) watching the motorcycle that I built go around the racetrack is still there, I'm still very keen on making it better than everything else.

"I don't think that there's anything that you can compare MotoGP with once you've been there and been lucky enough to ride at that kind of level."

((SPORT-MOTORCYCLING-ROBERTS, Editing by Pritha Sarkar, London Sports Desk; +44 (0)20 7542 3378))

BDA116 · 03-21-2006, 2:02 PM

I love how this Baldwin idiot refuses to mention the best rider Honda has in either article.

abtech · 03-21-2006, 2:39 PM

King Benny Hill is gas bagging it once again . . . He hasn't had any real success since Wayne Rainey was injured in 93 and here we are 13 years later and he's still acting like he has something to offer.

I think his biggest calling card these days is the fact that he rode a Yamaha back when they had the Yellow and Black color scheme that has recently resurfaced. Beyond that, I really don't think very many people in MotoGP take him seriously . . .

HondaGalToo · 03-21-2006, 3:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BDA116

I love how this Baldwin idiot refuses to mention the best rider Honda has in either article.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.

Acidreign · 03-21-2006, 3:07 PM

I'm just posting it as it was written. Didn't figure it was my place to edit the content. Thought it appropriate for the forum though.

Pete · 03-21-2006, 4:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acidreign

I'm just posting it as it was written. Didn't figure it was my place to edit the content.

They aren't directing the comments at you, so replace your panties with something more manly.

"Now we're raising our game again..." Abtech's term "gas-bagging" fits nicely here. I'm not really looking forward to hearing his excuses at the end of this season, when he falls flat on his face for the umpteenth time.

BDA116 · 03-21-2006, 4:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete

Blah blah.................sissy talk..................blah blah............I'm not really looking forward to hearing his excuses at the end of this season, when he falls flat on his face for the umpteenth time.

I'm confused. Are you referring to Roberts or Edwards?

Pete · 03-21-2006, 4:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BDA116

I'm confused. Are you referring to Roberts or Edwards?

Yes. Friggin' genius.

BDA116 · 03-21-2006, 4:28 PM

Repeater · 03-21-2006, 7:26 PM

I think he'll be on the podium. LIke i posted before. the susuki beat the **** out of him. It was also down on power. IT was kinda like why the hell should he push it if the thing couldn't do it. It would be great to see him up ther, hell he has the motor.

abtech · 03-21-2006, 7:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Repeater

I think he'll be on the podium. LIke i posted before. the susuki beat the **** out of him. It was also down on power. IT was kinda like why the hell should he push it if the thing couldn't do it. It would be great to see him up ther, hell he has the motor.

I don't believe it. There are more than a few past champions that were able to win on underpowered, evil handling rides in the premier class because they had the desire and were able to ride just about anything they were given to ride. Junior has lost whatever desire he had to work hard enough to win long ago. His only championship was in a transitional year after Doohan left (a perfect example of someone who was able to win on someone else's less than perfect hardware). I will be surprised if Roberts gets into the top ten in more than one or 2 races and then he'll probably hang it up at the end of the season.

Pete · 03-22-2006, 8:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abtech

I don't believe it. There are more than a few past champions that were able to win on underpowered, evil handling rides in the premier class because they had the desire and were able to ride just about anything they were given to ride. Junior has lost whatever desire he had to work hard enough to win long ago. His only championship was in a transitional year after Doohan left (a perfect example of someone who was able to win on someone else's less than perfect hardware). I will be surprised if Roberts gets into the top ten in more than one or 2 races and then he'll probably hang it up at the end of the season.

clutchslip · 03-31-2006, 8:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abtech

I think his biggest calling card these days is the fact that he rode a Yamaha back when they had the Yellow and Black color scheme that has recently resurfaced. Beyond that, I really don't think very many people in MotoGP take him seriously . . .

Gad, you can be a harda$$.

Here's someone else's recent quote:
"Few are held in such high esteem within MotoGP circles as 'King' Kenny Roberts, who not only won three consecutive 500cc World Championships, his first at his very first attempt, but is also credited with introducing the modern 'knee down' and 'rear wheel steer' technique still seen today."

If that Yamaha was worth a sh!t, he would NEVER have had to throw it around with the 'knee down' technique. I wish people could ride or REMEMBER what the bikes back then were like. It ain't like today, baby.

And by the way, Kenny didn't like asphalt racing. He was a dirt man.

Kenny from the AMA hall of fame: (cr@p photo)