Mecum Auctions will sponsor dirt track and roadracing icon and AMA Hall of Famer Kenny Roberts during the 2011 American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Nov. 18, 2011, during the Legends & Champions Weekend in Las Vegas.
During the ceremony, Mecum’s motorcycle division manager Gavin Trippe Sr. will present "King Kenny" Roberts with an award honoring his contributions to the motorcycling community, effectively graduating his Hall of Fame status to "Legend."
"I have known Kenny since he was a teenager at the start of his racing career, and I am very proud to join other industry leaders in honoring him at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Ceremony," said Trippe, a fellow AMA Hall of Famer.
Roberts, who was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998, won his first-ever AMA Grand National race in 1972 and went on to win 33 AMA Nationals in dirt-track and roadracing, including the prestigious Daytona 200 three times. A master of the dirt oval, Roberts achieved legendary status when he fielded a dirt-tracker powered by a TZ750 two-stroke roadracer engine at the Indianapolis Mile in 1975, made a dramatic last-lap pass for the win and then stated: "They don’t pay me enough to ride that thing."
"Presenting ‘King Kenny’ with this award is an honor, and we’re excited to have Roberts and this great event be part of the kick off to our 2012 season as Mecum celebrates 25 years in business," said Dana Mecum, president of Mecum Auctions and an avid motorcycle collector himself.
Mecum’s 2012 auction schedule will feature a variety of classic and special interest motorcycles for sale, kicking off during the annual Kissimmee Auction, Jan. 24-29, 2012 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Fla. The auction will broadcast with four days of live national TV coverage on Discovery’s all new Velocity network during the "Mecum Auto Auctions: Muscle Cars & More" show.
For more information about the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, visit www.MotorcycleMuseum.org.
