CN
III ARCHIVES
BY SCOTT ROUSSEAU
A
pril 18, 1999 did not exactly
mark a coronation ceremony
but rather a rite of passage on
the way to that coronation for a
member of American motorcycle
racing 's royal family. That's
when, at 25 years old and in his
debut ride aboard his new fac-
tory Suzuki, Kenny Roberts Jr.
scored a dominating victory at
the World Championship Road
P114
KENNY ROBERTS JR: DOING
THE FAMILY PROUD
were some who argued that he
could not have gotten a 500
ride any other way. But after two
years of growth in the class,
"Junior" must have showed well
enough that the apple doesn't fall
far from the tree because Suzuki
hired him as its man to go up
against the dominant duo of Mick
Doohan and Honda for the 1999
season.
Racing Series-opening Malaysian
Grand Prix at the Sepang Circuit
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Until
that time, Roberts had been,
at best, an unknown quantity in
Europe, having slogged around in
the 250cc class before accept-
ing a ride aboard his legendary
father's Modenas KR3 racers and
making the move to the 500cc
class in 1997. Right then, there
Kenny Roberts Sr. and Jr.
PHOTO: GOLD & GOOSE
