VOL. 51 ISSUE 46 NOVEMBER 18, 2014 P23
KENNY ZAHRT:
1956-2014
M
otocross star Kenny Zahrt
passed away on Friday, No-
vember 14, surrounded by friends
and family, one day after he was
found unconscious at his small
shop in Canyon Country, Califor-
nia. He was transported to Henry
Mayo Hospital in Newhall and
never regained consciousness.
Doctors there stated that a stroke
had left him bleeding in an inop-
erable part of his brain. Zahrt
was 59 years old.
Zahrt grew up in the Woodland
hills area of Southern California
and was an Indian Dunes regu-
lar throughout the 1970s
and early '80s. Almost as
famous for his long hair,
smooth style and good
looks as he was for his
consistent holeshots and
blinding speed, Zahrt won
hundreds of races as a
professional, including
the 1974 AMA 250 Na-
tional Motocross at Red
Bud Track n' Trail, in Bu-
chanan, Michigan.
Zahrt was a hardcore moto-
cross racer, competing and win-
ning in the Vet Pro class as late
as 1995, until injuries and a fused
ankle forced his retirement.
Zahrt's passing sparked an
outpouring of emotional respons-
es from hundreds of his fans and
friends. He was an icon to so
many people and will be missed
by the motocross community.
Steve Bauer
Kenny Zarht was a motocross icon—
especially in California—in the 1970s
and early '80s. He passed away at
the age of 59.
PHOTOGRAPHY
FROM
THE
CYCLE
NEW
ARCHIVES
YAMAHA FINALIZES MX TEAMS
I
n addition to Toyota/JGR
Yamaha and Yamalube/Star
Racing Yamaha, Yamaha
recently announced that it
will be fielding six additional
"bLU cRU" teams during the
2015 Supercross/motocross
season: CycleTrader.com/
Rock River Yamaha, Strikt/
Slaton Yamaha, Barn Pros/
Home Depot Yamaha, 51Fifty
Energy Drink Yamaha, Blue
Buffalo/Slater Skins Yamaha and
Thermo-Tech Yamaha.
"We're very excited about
the upcoming Monster Energy
Supercross and Lucas Oil Mo-
tocross seasons," said Keith
McCarty, Motorsports Racing Di-
vision Manager for Yamaha Mo-
tor Corporation, U.S.A. "Espe-
cially with the number of teams
and riders that want to compete
on Yamaha YZ250F and YZ450F
motorcycles in 2015. This shows
the impact that these bikes have
made on the sport, as well
as the confidence that the
teams and riders have in
them as winning machines."
The teams will be made up
of—CycleTrader.com/Rock
River/Yamaha: Ben La-
may, Alex Martin and Greg
Gehrer; Strikt/Slaton/
Yamaha: Scott Champion,
Zach Freeberg and Cole
Martinez; Barn Pros/Home
Depot/Yamaha: Conner Elliott,
Chris Howell and Ryder Steffy;
51FIFTY Energy Drink/Yamaha:
Austin Politelli; Blue Buffalo/
Slater Skins/Yamaha: Killy Rusk
and Ryan Zimmer; Thermo-Tec/
Yamaha (Arenacross): Kyle Regal
and Mike McDade.
Yamaha has stepped up its bLU
cRU program for 2015.
