With his crash and injury to his wrist during practice for this weekend’s MotoGP event in Australia, the Kenny Roberts era at Suzuki may have come to an end. Roberts is reportedly unsigned for 2006.
When Roberts won the 500 GP championship in 2000, many thought it might be the beginning of a run at the top for the talented son of a legend. Two things conspired against Roberts thereafter, including Suzuki’s difficulty in developing competitive machinery and the arrival in the top class of one precocious youngster named Valentino Rossi.
For a while, Roberts had a reputation for complaining about his machinery while being outridden by his teammate . . . most recently young American John Hopkins. Although the old Roberts appeared to be emerging of late with some solid performances, you would have to say that his post-2000 career has been a huge disappointment for his fans.
Perhaps, Kenny Roberts has lost his enthusiasm for racing at this level, or perhaps we will see him back in MotoGP in 2006. We will have to wait and see.
