Our vote for the big balls motorsport experience this year. Forget F1/WRC even Moto GP - Kenny Roberts riding a 150 mph flat tracker at Indy on the dirt - 25 years after his historic win was the highlight of 2009.
Kenny had not even ridden a bike for a year - did not bother practising beforehand as he claimed nothing simulated the experience of the 4 cylinder 2 stroke on the dirt.
In 1975 after his historic win - King Kenny claimed that "Yamaha don't pay me enough to ride that thing"
Anyway with Valentino and his dad at the Indy Mile for the US Moto GP - Yamaha saw a great marketing opportunity and got the "King" to put his race suit back on to demo the bike - watch the video...
Valentino was scheduled to do a few a demo laps on the bike that night - but after watching Kenny - wisely deferred - saying "This is your night.."
Fast facts on the bike:
125 bhp "peaky" motor150 mph top speed on dirt - 30 mph faster than the competing Harley XR750..No front brakeNot very heavy....AMA banned it after 3 races - concerned about riders getting hurt..
In the modern era in road racing of electronics/traction control/GPS mapping on specific corners etc - this is really evocative of a different era.
It's great that Michael Schumacher is coming back to F1 - but now he rides race bikes - I am sure that he would recognise that to have not ridden a bike for a year and put on this kind of performance on this evil bitch - really shows big balls.
Final word goes to Kenny when asked how he remembered his old steed:
"You had to throw it sideways to get it slowed for the corners. There weren’t a lot of riders who could throw it sideways at 240km/h.’ Amen…
For more info on the bike - go to:
