In the next Cycle World (our November issue is on sale in early October), Technical Editor Kevin Cameron writes glowingly of flat-track racing, calling it a "fabulous school for talent that can go anywhere in motorcycle sport." Guys like Wayne Rainey and Kenny Roberts certainly would agree. And many will remember that Roberts, the three-time 500cc world champion, displayed his all-out style in spectacular fashion at the Indy Mile in 1975, where he rode a flat-tracker powered by a two-stroke Yamaha TZ750 four-cylinder to a dramatic victory, passing the Harleys of Jay Springsteen, Rex Beauchamp, and Corky Keener on the last lap to take the win on a bike that many, including Roberts, considered too powerful to ride.
To this day, Roberts calls it "the best individual ride" he ever had. And to commemorate that win—the only victory for the two-stroke machine—Yamaha put Roberts back on a TZ750 flat-tracker in 2009 and had him do a few laps at the Indy Mile. Parade laps? Not a chance. Although Roberts hadn't been on a bike in more than a year, he showed no signs of rust as the two-stroke wailed away and the bike drifted beautifully through Indy's turns. This video, created by our friends at Yamaha, contains original footage of Kenny working the high groove back in 1975, plus some excellent footage from that special event in 2009, which was attended by none other than nine-time world champ Valentino Rossi. We get goosebumps every time we watch this video. Now crank up the volume!
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