THREE-TIME WORLD CHAMPION KENNY ROBERTS MENTORING FLAT-TRACKER KODY KOPP IN NEW MOTOAMERICA TALENT CUP CLASS
Three-time FIM 500cc Grand Prix World Champion “King” Kenny Roberts begins a new chapter in his hall-of-fame international motorcycle racing career this weekend, March 28-30, at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. Returning to professional competition following an 18-year hiatus, the 73-year-old American is leaning on his decades of experience to steer 20-year-old Kody Kopp in his transition from flat-track champion to rookie road racer in the new MotoAmerica Talent Cup class.
Part of the “Road To MotoGP,” the Talent Cup debuting at COTA in conjunction with the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas is a “spec” class. Riders aged 14 to 21 compete exclusively on the race-only Krämer APX-350 MA, which is powered by a single-cylinder, four-stroke KTM engine. Kopp, a three-time American Flat Track Singles champion, is the son of 2000 AMA Pro Grand National Champion Joe Kopp. Roberts won back-to-back GNC titles in 1973 and ’74 before becoming America’s first Grand Prix world champion in 1978.
Stepping into battle once again as “Team Roberts,” which earned four world titles in the early 1990s with American riders Wayne Rainey and John Kocinski, Roberts intends to base his resurgent race program in Birmingham, Alabama, near Barber Motorsports Park. “We always wanted to help Kody,” admitted Roberts, “but there was never an opportunity. He’s never road raced before. It will probably be the toughest thing that he’s had to master since he started racing, but it’s there to have. Without doing it, we’ll never know. In the past, it was easy to help young kids because you could put them on a Yamaha TZ250. You could always see the talent because everyone had pretty much the same equipment. The Krämer is the only thing that came along where I went, ‘That’s the way to go.’”
One week after its debut, April 4-6, the Talent Cup will travel to Barber Motorsports Park for “MotoAmerica Superbikes at Barber.” The 16-turn, 2.38-mile race course is among the best tracks in the U.S. and the go-to venue for cars and motorcycles alike.
Fans are encouraged to visit the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum to experience the “World Champions” exhibit unveiled in October at the Barber Vintage Festival. Three machines from the Roberts collection acquired by the museum in 2024 are featured at the center of the display. Two world-championship-winning motorcycles, Roberts’ 1980 Yamaha YZR500 and Kenny Roberts Jr.’s 2000 Suzuki RGV500, are paired with the three-cylinder KR3 on which Roberts Jr. contested the 1998 500cc title. Roberts family racing memorabilia is showcased, as well.
Roberts Jr., 51, is expected to lap the Barber road course on the Team Roberts KR211V that he rode to sixth overall in the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. Highlights from that 17-race campaign included podium finishes in Spain and Portugal, plus a fourth at the lone U.S. round. Recommissioned by the museum, the KR211V was a unique collaboration between GP Motorsports, the U.K.-based firm founded by Roberts in 1996, and Honda. GP Motorsports fabricated the chassis, and the Japanese manufacturer supplied 990cc five-cylinder engines.
“The museum has long celebrated racing history, both on two and four wheels, and we are proud to show our support for this new Talent Cup class in the MotoAmerica series,” said Brian Case, executive director of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. “Kenny Roberts’ legacy runs deep here, and seeing him mentor the next generation of American champions is special. This moment highlights the evolution of motorcycle racing and our commitment to preserving its rich heritage.”
About the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit located at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2024, the museum focuses on various aspects of motorsports design, from displaying motorcycles and cars spanning over 100 years of production to the Barber Advanced Design Center—a high-tech workspace for design exploration. The museum embraces the culture of motorsports enthusiasts by hosting programs such as Barber Design Camp and events such as Barber Vintage Festival. With five floors housing 1,800 motorcycles, over 60 Lotus race cars, and numerous vintage and iconic vehicles, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is the ultimate family-friendly environment for education, inspiration, and exploration with the mission to preserve, interpret and exhibit the history of motorcycles and vintage vehicles in motorsports. The public is welcome, and more information is available at www.BarberMuseum.org.
