[{"id":16132,"permalink":"https:\/\/dirtsportsworld.com\/2026\/08\/22\/j-n-roberts-king-of-the-desert-dies-at-84\/","title":"J.N. Roberts, \u2018King of the Desert,\u2019 Dies at 84","content":"Off-road motorcycle racing has lost one of its most influential pioneers. J.N. Roberts, the legendary desert racer known as the \u201cKing of the Desert,\u201d died Tuesday, August 18, at his home in Helena, Montana. He was 84 Roberts, whose full name was James Nelson Roberts, was one of the defining figures of American desert racing during the 1960s and \u201970s. His success helped establish the lighter, two-stroke motorcycle as a dominant force in the desert and inspired generations of riders who followed.\r\n\r\nAmong Roberts\u2019 most notable accomplishments was winning the inaugural Mexican 1000 motorcycle race in 1967 alongside Malcolm Smith. The event would later become known as the Baja 1000. Roberts went on to win the Baja 1000 again, along with two Baja 500 victories and three Mint 400 wins. He also captured the legendary Barstow-to-Vegas race four consecutive times from 1968 through 1971. Perhaps most remarkably, Roberts won 27 consecutive desert races during one stretch of his career, cementing his reputation as one of the most dominant off-road racers of his era. He also represented the United States at the International Six Days Trial in 1971 and 1972.\r\n\r\nRoberts' racing career was closely tied to Husqvarna. While many of his competitors were riding larger four-stroke motorcycles, Roberts demonstrated the advantages of the lighter European two-strokes, developing a riding style that allowed him to maneuver through rough desert terrain with remarkable speed and precision.\r\n\r\nHis influence extended well beyond racing. Roberts also enjoyed a successful career as a Hollywood stuntman, working with legendary stunt coordinator and filmmaker Hal Needham. He performed motorcycle stunts and served as a double for actors including Paul Newman, with credits that included Sometimes a Great Notion<\/em>, The Blues Brothers<\/em>, National Lampoon's Vacation<\/em>, Scarface<\/em> and Days of Thunder<\/em>.\r\n\r\nRoberts' connection to Hollywood was also immortalized on screen. He appeared in On Any Sunday<\/em>, the landmark 1971 motorcycle documentary, and later in Dust to Glory<\/em>, which chronicled the Baja 1000 and featured Roberts returning to the race decades after his historic victory with Smith.\r\n\r\nHis accomplishments earned him induction into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2009.","excerpt":"

Off-road motorcycle racing has lost one of its most influential pioneers. J.N. Roberts, the legendary desert racer known as the …<\/p>","date":"August 22, 2026 13:50","categories":[{"id":25047609,"title":"Moto","slug":"moto"},{"id":25047612,"title":"News","slug":"news"}],"tags":[{"id":25047701,"title":"baja","slug":"baja"},{"id":25047702,"title":"baja 1000","slug":"baja-1000"},{"id":25049959,"title":"J.N. Roberts","slug":"j-n-roberts"},{"id":25047810,"title":"legend","slug":"legend"},{"id":25047675,"title":"moto","slug":"moto"},{"id":25047687,"title":"motorcycle","slug":"motorcycle"},{"id":25049961,"title":"motorcycle racer","slug":"motorcycle-racer"},{"id":25049960,"title":"norra mexican 1000","slug":"norra-mexican-1000"}]},{"id":9767,"permalink":"https:\/\/dirtsportsworld.com\/2024\/06\/05\/racing-icon-parnelli-jones-passes-away-at-90-years-old\/","title":"Racing icon Parnelli Jones Passes Away at 90-Years Old","content":"Parnelli Jones has passed away. Jones led a storied career with numerous racing wins including the Indianapolis 500 and multiple Baja 500 and 1000 victories. Basically, Jones won nearly every North American Auto Race. \u00a0Jones piloted the famous \u201cBig Oly\u201d Bronco with a custom roof wing built for airflow with co-driver Bill Stroppe. Jones was an inaugural inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1978.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2448\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"640\"]\"\" The iconic Big Oly Bronco sold for $1.8 million at Mecum Auctions.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nJones\u2019 iconic yellow and gold paint scheme Bronco was sold for $1.8 million at a Mecum Auction. Its new owner raced the Bronco in the 2022 NORRA Rally in Mexico. Jones went on to be part of other builds in his years including the BFG Blazer and a Class-8 truck.\r\n\r\nParnelli\u2019s son PJ Jones posted the following to social media: \u201cMy father, Parnelli Jones, passed away at the age of 90. He had battled Parkinson\u2019s for the last few years. I will miss him greatly.\u201d","excerpt":"

Parnelli Jones has passed away. Jones led a storied career with numerous racing wins including the Indianapolis 500 and multiple …<\/p>","date":"June 5, 2024 03:41","categories":[{"id":25047610,"title":"Desert Racing","slug":"desert-racing"},{"id":25047612,"title":"News","slug":"news"}],"tags":[{"id":25047702,"title":"baja 1000","slug":"baja-1000"},{"id":25047759,"title":"baja 500","slug":"baja-500"},{"id":25049586,"title":"BFG Blazer","slug":"bfg-blazer"},{"id":25048120,"title":"Big Oly","slug":"big-oly"},{"id":25047810,"title":"legend","slug":"legend"},{"id":25048232,"title":"Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame","slug":"off-road-motorsports-hall-of-fame"},{"id":25048121,"title":"Parnelli Jones","slug":"parnelli-jones"},{"id":25049587,"title":"parnelli jones passes away","slug":"parnelli-jones-passes-away"}]},{"id":1968,"permalink":"https:\/\/dirtsportsworld.com\/2021\/02\/19\/meyers-manx-founder-bruce-meyers-passes-away\/","title":"Meyers Manx Founder Bruce Meyers Passes Away","content":"Meyers Manx creator Bruce Meyers has died at the age of 94. Meyers created the Meyers-Manx dune buggy which became highly popular in the 1960\u2019s. It was known as a California beach icon and was highly celebrated in pop culture.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nMeyers originally created the iconic body in his Newport Beach garage. It was a fiberglass body designed to fit on an old Volkswagen. The Manx raced in the very first NORRA Mexican 1000 in 1969. The Meyers-Manx was also used in several Hollywood productions.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nBruce Meyers was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1978. \u00a0Meyers sold his company last year to Troutsdale Ventures, which plans to carry on Meyers Manx legacy of fun, freedom and expression that Bruce and Winnie originally created.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nLead image credit: Historic Vehicle Association","excerpt":"

Meyers Manx creator Bruce Meyers has died at the age of 94. Meyers created the Meyers-Manx dune buggy which became …<\/p>","date":"February 19, 2021 17:57","categories":[{"id":25047610,"title":"Desert Racing","slug":"desert-racing"},{"id":25047612,"title":"News","slug":"news"}],"tags":[{"id":25048054,"title":"baja legend","slug":"baja-legend"},{"id":25048050,"title":"Bruce Meyers","slug":"bruce-meyers"},{"id":25047810,"title":"legend","slug":"legend"},{"id":25047754,"title":"mexican 1000","slug":"mexican-1000"},{"id":25048051,"title":"meyers manx","slug":"meyers-manx"},{"id":25047752,"title":"norra","slug":"norra"},{"id":25048052,"title":"off road hall of fame","slug":"off-road-hall-of-fame"},{"id":25048053,"title":"ormhof","slug":"ormhof"}]},{"id":763,"permalink":"https:\/\/dirtsportsworld.com\/2020\/04\/28\/motocross-legend-marty-smith-killed-in-glamis-accident\/","title":"Motocross Legend Marty Smith Killed in Glamis Accident","content":"Motocross legend Marty Smith and his wife Nancy were killed in a dune buggy accident at the Glamis dunes on Monday. A statement released on Facebook <\/em>by friend Lee Ramage reads the following:\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nMarty Smith rode for Honda and Suzuki in the 1970\u2019s. Smith won 3 AMA Championships. A 1978 crash at the Houston Supercross would leave Smith with a broken hip. He finished 3rd<\/sup> that year. Smith retired from professional racing in 1981.\r\n\r\nIn 1991, Smith teamed up with Larry Roeseler and Ted Hunnicut Jr to win the Baja 1000. Smith was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nImage courtesy of Facebook","excerpt":"

Motocross legend Marty Smith and his wife Nancy were killed in a dune buggy accident at the Glamis dunes on …<\/p>","date":"April 28, 2020 14:17","categories":[{"id":25047609,"title":"Moto","slug":"moto"},{"id":25047612,"title":"News","slug":"news"}],"tags":[{"id":25047814,"title":"accident","slug":"accident"},{"id":25047811,"title":"ama","slug":"ama"},{"id":25047812,"title":"ama hall of fame","slug":"ama-hall-of-fame"},{"id":25047813,"title":"glamis","slug":"glamis"},{"id":25047810,"title":"legend","slug":"legend"},{"id":25047809,"title":"marty smith","slug":"marty-smith"},{"id":25047675,"title":"moto","slug":"moto"},{"id":25047621,"title":"motocross","slug":"motocross"}]}]{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1", "user_comment": "This feed allows you to read the posts from this site in any feed reader that supports the JSON Feed format. To add this feed to your reader, copy the following URL -- https://dirtsportsworld.com/tag/legend/feed/json/ -- and add it your reader.", "home_page_url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/tag/legend/", "feed_url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/tag/legend/feed/json/", "language": "en-US", "title": "legend Archives - DirtSportsWorld", "description": "The Voice of Off-Road Motorsports", "icon": "https://i0.wp.com/dirtsportsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/cropped-DSW-Web-Icon.png?fit=59%2C59&ssl=1", "items": [ { "id": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/?p=16132", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/2026/08/22/j-n-roberts-king-of-the-desert-dies-at-84/", "title": "J.N. Roberts, \u2018King of the Desert,\u2019 Dies at 84", "content_html": "

Off-road motorcycle racing has lost one of its most influential pioneers. J.N. Roberts, the legendary desert racer known as the …

The post J.N. Roberts, \u2018King of the Desert,\u2019 Dies at 84 appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.

\n", "content_text": "Off-road motorcycle racing has lost one of its most influential pioneers. J.N. Roberts, the legendary desert racer known as the …The post J.N. Roberts, \u2018King of the Desert,\u2019 Dies at 84 appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.", "date_published": "2026-08-22T13:50:34-07:00", "date_modified": "2026-08-22T13:50:34-07:00", "authors": [ { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "tags": [ "baja", "baja 1000", "J.N. Roberts", "legend", "Moto", "motorcycle", "motorcycle racer", "norra mexican 1000", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/?p=9767", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/2024/06/05/racing-icon-parnelli-jones-passes-away-at-90-years-old/", "title": "Racing icon Parnelli Jones Passes Away at 90-Years Old", "content_html": "

Parnelli Jones has passed away. Jones led a storied career with numerous racing wins including the Indianapolis 500 and multiple …

The post Racing icon Parnelli Jones Passes Away at 90-Years Old appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.

\n", "content_text": "Parnelli Jones has passed away. Jones led a storied career with numerous racing wins including the Indianapolis 500 and multiple …The post Racing icon Parnelli Jones Passes Away at 90-Years Old appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.", "date_published": "2024-06-05T03:41:36-07:00", "date_modified": "2024-06-05T03:41:36-07:00", "authors": [ { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "tags": [ "baja 1000", "baja 500", "BFG Blazer", "Big Oly", "legend", "Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame", "Parnelli Jones", "parnelli jones passes away", "Desert Racing", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/?p=1968", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/2021/02/19/meyers-manx-founder-bruce-meyers-passes-away/", "title": "Meyers Manx Founder Bruce Meyers Passes Away", "content_html": "

Meyers Manx creator Bruce Meyers has died at the age of 94. Meyers created the Meyers-Manx dune buggy which became …

The post Meyers Manx Founder Bruce Meyers Passes Away appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.

\n", "content_text": "Meyers Manx creator Bruce Meyers has died at the age of 94. Meyers created the Meyers-Manx dune buggy which became …The post Meyers Manx Founder Bruce Meyers Passes Away appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.", "date_published": "2021-02-19T17:57:59-08:00", "date_modified": "2021-02-19T17:57:59-08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "tags": [ "baja legend", "Bruce Meyers", "legend", "mexican 1000", "meyers manx", "norra", "off road hall of fame", "ormhof", "Desert Racing", "News" ] }, { "id": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/?p=763", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/2020/04/28/motocross-legend-marty-smith-killed-in-glamis-accident/", "title": "Motocross Legend Marty Smith Killed in Glamis Accident", "content_html": "

Motocross legend Marty Smith and his wife Nancy were killed in a dune buggy accident at the Glamis dunes on …

The post Motocross Legend Marty Smith Killed in Glamis Accident appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.

\n", "content_text": "Motocross legend Marty Smith and his wife Nancy were killed in a dune buggy accident at the Glamis dunes on …The post Motocross Legend Marty Smith Killed in Glamis Accident appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.", "date_published": "2020-04-28T14:17:38-07:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-28T14:19:38-07:00", "authors": [ { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "tags": [ "accident", "ama", "ama hall of fame", "glamis", "legend", "marty smith", "Moto", "motocross", "News" ] } ] }