He built his own motorcycle by attaching his father's lawn mower engine to a bicycle frame. Roberts accepted the challenge and the experience thrilled him. He rode his first motorcycle at the age of 12 when a friend dared him to ride a mini bike. ![]() As a child growing up in the rural agriculture area just off highway 132 near the West side vineyards of E & J Gallo Winery, Roberts was originally interested in horseback riding. Kenny Roberts was born to Alice and Melton "Buster" Roberts in Modesto, California. He is also the father of 2000 Grand Prix world champion Kenny Roberts Jr. In 2000, Roberts was named a Grand Prix Legend by the FIM. Roberts' proposal to create a rival motorcycle championship in 1979 broke the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) hegemony and increased the political clout of Grand Prix racers, which subsequently led to improved safety standards and a new era of professionalism in the sport. His dirt track-based riding style changed the way Grand Prix motorcycles were ridden. Roberts left his mark on Grand Prix motorcycle racing as a world championship winning rider, a safety advocate, a racing team owner, and as a motorcycle engine and chassis constructor. Roberts is one of only four riders in American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) racing history to win the AMA Grand Slam, representing Grand National wins at a mile, half-mile, short-track, TT Steeplechase and road race events. He was also a two-time winner of the A.M.A. ![]() In 1978, he became the first American to win a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship. Kenneth Leroy Roberts (born December 31, 1951, in Modesto, California) is an American former professional motorcycle racer and racing team owner.
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