Kenny Roberts Jnr Inducted into MotoGP Legends Hall of Fame
Rennie Scaysbrook | April 21, 2017
Roberts Jnr (right) is flanked by fellow MotoGP Legends Hall of Fame member and father, Kenny Roberts Snr (middle) and Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta.
Kenny Roberts Jnr has been inducted into the MotoGP Legends Hall of Fame in a special ceremony at Circuit of The Americas today.
The son of three-time 500cc World Champion Kenny Roberts Snr clinched the 2000 500cc World Championship for Telefonica Suzuki, taking four wins in a career that saw him stand on top of the podium eight times.
Flanked by his father and Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, Roberts Jnr said, “I haven’t been up here for a long time! This is an extremely special moment and I didn’t write a speech or anything because I wanted the raw emotion of the day, with my dad and Carmelo up here. Now, being able to celebrate here with my wife Rochelle and our kids, her family, some of my family and friends, my dad…words don’t help because you can’t describe it.
Roberts Jnr with his 2000 500cc World Championship-winning Suzuki RGV500.
“As a dream you say ‘I have this dream to do this one day’ but then maybe it doesn’t work out or the right people aren’t there that you want to be there when something like this finally happens, in 20 or 25 years.”
Ezpeleta paid tribute to Roberts Jnr for not just his exceptional career but his instrumental work in improving safety via the MotoGP Safety Commission.
“This is a special day today, and a very special moment for us because it’s the first time that a father and son have become members of the MotoGP World Championship Hall of Fame,” Ezpeleta said. “I think it’s great for Kenny Roberts Senior to also be here with us and to share this special moment. They have both contributed to growing MotoGP. Kenny was one of the first to try and change motorcycling, and he did many things to change our world. Later, Kenny Roberts Jr was one of the crucial parts of creating one of the things we’re most proud of—the Safety Commission. When he was in the championship he was a crucial man in that. So I want to say thank you to both Kenny Roberts and Kenny Roberts Jr—and it’s an important moment for all of Dorna to give you this award.”
