~ Kenny
Roberts:
~ A day with the King
By Paul Carruthers
Photos by Henny Ray Abrams
~
c-r
c-r
"I don 't think that guy up there likes me
.; too much," Kenny Roberts said with a grin
~ while casually controlling a 60-mph slide
in one corner of the four -turn gravel
driveway that leads to the heart
of h is l 60-acre spread. T he
"guy" Rob erts spoke of is h is
neighbor a n d it was easy to
understand why th e ma n on the h ill
wo u ld n' t e n joy th e la u g hin g
Robert s. T he du st spewi ng fro m the
rear wheels of his Nissa n Pa th fin der .
was blowing in a large cloud toward
the poor g uy 's house.
O h , how Roberts' neighbor must
cheris h the though t of u pcoming
Grands Prix seasons, knowi ng tha t
th e three -time World Champion
wou ld be o n the ot her side of the
Atlantic managi ng his Team Lucky
Strike Rob ert s sq uad; knowi ng he
could enjoy a dus t-free summer. But
the poo r neighbor was out of luck
on th is summer day . Robert s was
bac k in town for th e Laguna Seca
Nationa l.
I g uess th at 's th e p rice you pay for
livin g in Hi ckman , California, or as
Rob er ts wo uld say, " God 's Country." I wondered if th e neighbor had
seen o ur o the r trips to a nd from the
Rob ert s ranch . This o ne was mild.
Exiting hi s ranch , a ftera ll, caused
even more o f a dust sto rm . On the
exit, Robert s leaves th e gravel drive-
Roberts at the wheel of his highflying Nissan Pathfinder.
When Roberts does business in the United States it usually takes place
in his office at his Modesto. California. Yamaha dealership.
At the heart of the 160-acre Roberts spread is his still-under-construction. six-bedroom. 5000-square-foot ' log home .
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