TEAM ROBERTS KR211V RACED BY WORLD CHAMPION KENNY ROBERTS JR. TO APPEAR AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS DURING MOTOGP RACE WEEKEND
The Team Roberts KR211V raced by 2000 FIM 500cc World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr. is returning to the international stage for the March 28-30 Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, round three of the 2025 FIM Grand Prix World Championship.
Now part of the permanent collection at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, the Honda 990cc V5-powered KR211V was designed and built by GP Motorsports, the U.K.-based firm founded in 1996 by three-time FIM 500cc World Champion Kenny Roberts.
Recommissioned by the museum, the KR211V will be displayed throughout the weekend at the Alpinestars hospitality unit in the MotoGP paddock at the Circuit of The Americas. Fans are encouraged to take advantage of this rare opportunity to lay eyes on the one-of-a-kind machine.
The KR211V was a collaboration between GP Motorsports and Honda. Team Roberts fabricated the chassis, and the Japanese manufacturer supplied engines and technical support. On the racetrack, Roberts Jr. showed the speed that earned him eight career victories and a world title.
The American finished the 17-race 2006 MotoGP season sixth overall in points, with podiums at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain and Circuito do Estoril in Portugal. In the U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca Raceway, he qualified third and took the checkered flag in fourth.
“I remember my first time on the Honda,” said Roberts Jr. “It was difficult to tell which gear I was in; the engine was so linear. If we had six months to find all the gremlins with the chassis we found in the last 25% of the season, we could have been fighting quite often for podiums.
“What we were able to accomplish on this bike that season solidified even more in my mind what the other guys had underneath them. It gave me a better perspective of what I rode, what I didn’t ride, and what we did with a lot less.”
Roberts, 73, and Roberts Jr., 51, are the only father-and-son premier-class champions in the 76-year history of the sport. Lauded for his enduring contributions to GP racing’s rider-led safety commission, Roberts Jr. was named a MotoGP Legend in 2017.
One week after the Grand Prix of The Americas, April 4-6, Barber Motorsports Park will host “MotoAmerica Superbikes at Barber.” Roberts Jr. is slated to ride the KR211V for exhibition laps on the 16-turn, 2.38-mile road course.
“The museum is honored to showcase a machine as rare and innovative as the KR211V,” said Executive Director Brian Case. “This motorcycle represents a bold chapter in Grand Prix racing history, highlighting the engineering expertise of Team Roberts and the skill of Kenny Roberts Jr. Seeing the KR211V back in the MotoGP paddock at COTA is a testament to its significance, and hearing it roar to life on track again at Barber Motorsports Park will be an unforgettable experience for everyone in attendance.”
Last October, at the 19th annual Barber Vintage Festival, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum unveiled its “World Champions” exhibit, which features three historic two-stroke 500cc Grand Prix machines from the Kenny Roberts collection acquired by the museum in 2024.
Roberts’ 1980 Yamaha YZR500 and Roberts Jr.’s 2000 Suzuki RGV500 are united with the three-cylinder Team Roberts KR3 campaigned in 1998 by Roberts Jr. Family photographs and personal racing memorabilia round out the remarkable presentation.
Recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest motorcycle collection, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum houses thousands of motorcycles spanning more than a century of production and representing 220 different manufacturers from 22 countries.
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.