A motorcycle legend passes. RIP Joel Robert.

[motogrady]

6 time 250cc World Motocross Champion.  Some will argue, the most talented, flashy rider of his time. Led Suzuki and the Japanese, as Mike Hailwood did with Honda, into the World GP Racing scene.
A Babe Ruth of Motocross.  Could stay up half the night before a race, and still win the next day, going away.   After smoking a cigarette on the starting line.

In somewhat declining health these last few years, he lost a week long battle with Covid 19.

https://youtu.be/gj1hqgSxGMs

[motogrady]

Ahhh....when men were men!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joël_Robert

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

[motogrady]

^^^^

Some claim this is the motorcycle that killed the European dirt bikes.

Roberts 1972 250cc World Championship works bike.  

Story goes it was so light, under 170lbs, vs the 230lb European GP racers, they would change the weight rules 2 years later.  And so powerful, they went at first from a quarter to a half turn throttle.
Was the only way they could keep Robert from flipping over backwards when he really got on it.

[hacksaw]

R.I.P.