"King" Kenny Celebrates 70th Birthday
T
he one and only "King" Kenny
Roberts celebrated his 70th
birthday on Friday, December 31,
with a very special gift presented
to him from his family and friends
of a "one off" Yamaha RMAX
1000 LE Side-by-Side built spe-
cially for him by Yamaha's factory
in Newnan, Georgia.
The RMAX 1000 was a birthday
gift from his family and friends
including his son and 2000
World Champion Kenny Roberts
Jr., three-time World Champion
Wayne Rainey, their management
team of International Racers,
and other close industry friends
who all contributed to honor the
legend and celebrate with their
special gift to him.
The Special RMAX 1000 was
built by an enthusiastic team
of engineers at the factory in
Newnan, Georgia, and styled the
machine after Kenny's 1978 OW
Yamaha 500 World Champion-
ship-winning machine.
"We all wanted to do some-
thing special for my dad's 70th
birthday; something from all
of us, and without the help of
Yamaha, none of this would've
been possible," said Roberts Jr.
"Yamaha actually reached out to
us once they heard we were try-
ing to get one for my dad from a
dealership, and that shows all of
us that my dad truly has a special
place in Yamaha's history. They
secured the RMAX 1000 for us,
and their factory made a special
one-off livery that reminds all of
us of the Roberts and Yamaha
memories."
"Kenny is a true legend and
icon in our sport," said Yamaha
Motorsports President Mike Mar-
tinez. "The team at our factory
here in Georgia was indeed hon-
ored to build this special RMAX
1000 as a gift from his family and
friends for his 70th birthday. All of
us at Yamaha truly wish Kenny a
very happy birthday and sincerely
appreciate his tremendous con-
tributions to our sport!"
CN
IN
THE
WIND
P34
Kenny Roberts and his family
show off this specially
prepped Yamaha RMAX
1000 LE side by side that
was a gift for his 70th
birthday.
